


Floating in Plasma

by um_suzi



Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon (Main Video Game Series), Pocket Monsters: Black & White | Pokemon Black and White Versions
Genre: Action/Adventure, Adventure & Romance, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Coming of Age, Crushes, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Explicit Language, F/M, FerrisWheelShipping, Friendship, Gen, Hilda has anger issues, Isshu-chihou | Unova Region (Pokemon), Male-Female Friendship, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Mutual Pining, Pining, Pokemon Journey, Slow Burn, Unova, Unrequited Crush
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-04
Updated: 2020-05-12
Packaged: 2021-03-01 02:42:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 34,024
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23427928
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/um_suzi/pseuds/um_suzi
Summary: Hilda is an angry girl who knows little to nothing about how people work, and doesn't care to learn. That is, at least, until she meets someone who knows even less. As she journeys around the Unova region alongside her eccentric companion Hilbert on a quest to find his parents, Hilda encounters this unusual, green haired boy over and over. Little does she know, he's hiding a dark secret.In a world blinded by false truths and bleak ideals, Hilda breaches the black and white boundaries against this enigmatic young man, defying both the world around her and those who oppose it.-A slightly different take on the Black and White games with some more developed characters and a whole lotta daddy issues. Largely focused on Hilda and her journey.This story will be on hiatus for a while. Apologies to anyone who’s wanting more. <3
Relationships: Bel | Bianca/Cheren, N | Natural Harmonia Gropius & Touko | Hilda, N | Natural Harmonia Gropius/Touko | Hilda, Touko | Hilda/Touya | Hilbert
Comments: 13
Kudos: 29





	1. One

Unova was pretty awesome.

Hilda couldn't help but think that as she leaned out of the open window of Professor Juniper's car, breathing in her freedom. Wind whipped against her face, stinging her skin and dragging her hair back, but she felt the happiest she had done in maybe ten years.

God, it smelled fantastic! If it wasn't for her nose running due to the cold, she would have sat there and sucked the clean, wonderful air into her nostrils forever. It was the flowers and the greenery and the nothingness which somehow smelled so grand. Or maybe it was that she was just so used to the dull city stink of Goldenrod back home. Either way, this was major cool.

It was beautiful too. They had arrived at Mistralton airport early that morning, and then immediately caught the ferry to a small, isolated dock near Nuvema, and after passing many towns and landmarks on their way Hilda could safely conclude that everywhere in Unova was utterly stunning. Everything felt modern and fresh, from the clean cut, grassy routes that networked throughout the region to the colossal undulating mountain ranges that cradled it's boarders. There was variety and uniqueness around every corner, and it couldn't be any more different from the small corner of Johto where she grew up.

“How is Hiro managing?”

The question wasn't directed at her, but Hilda's attention lapsed briefly as she caught part of the conversation between her mother, Wendy, and Professor Juniper. She always felt a little awkward when talk turned to her father, but the fact that she and her mother had left him to come to Unova made matters a little more terse. She bit her lip and tried to refocus her thoughts. Was that some movement in amongst the shrubbery? A Pokemon, perhaps-

“Oh, you know how he is Aurea... He was always stubborn, even then.” Her mother's words were lighthearted, but the waver in her voice contradicted them. Hilda knew it was her fault they were leaving, and she felt bad, she really did, but sometimes you had to be a little selfish. That was how she comforted herself, at least. “I'm sure he'll be happier where he is now anyway.”

Professor Juniper raised an eyebrow. “On his own?”

At her mother's reaction, the professor looked a little sheepish, and reached down to consolingly squeeze her hand. Why did things have to be so complicated? Hilda fixated her gaze back on their surroundings, leaning further out the window so that maybe the wind would numb her ears to the noise.

“That reminds me, Hilda, there were a few things I wanted to discuss with you about the Pokedex project!” Hilda jerked her head back into the car and caught Juniper's eyes in the rear view mirror. She was obviously making an attempt to change the subject, something to which Hilda would gladly oblige. “I'm sure you're already aware of why you're doing this for me?”

“Yes, professor,” Hilda said. Her voice went higher when she was trying to be polite... Did that make her fake?

“You're familiar with my research then! That's good. If you're anything like your mother you'll surely have no trouble raising a formidable team...” She wasn't usually the bashful type, but Hilda felt her face heating up at the compliment. “I know it's a bit early, but have you considered taking on the League?”

“Please, Aurea, it was the only thing she talked about on the plane!” her mother said, and glanced back at Hilda, her eyes sparkling with pride. It was true, she had been very enthusiastic about the Gym Challenges and Pokemon League, but who wouldn't be? Battling the most revered trainers in the region to demonstrate your talent and knowledge... Surely that was what every Pokemon trainer wanted, deep down.

“I think... I think that's what I wanna do, yeah,” Hilda admitted, a little shyly. “Not that I won't prioritise the Pokedex project, obviously.”

At that the professor chuckled, and replied, "What's most important is that you make the most out of your journey."

It sounded a little cliché, but Hilda couldn't agree more. As she reclined back in the seat, gazing out into the forest that surrounded them, she watched as more and more wild Pokemon appeared before her, curiously eyeing the run down vehicle that meandered along the dirt road to Nuvema Town.

This was going to be the greatest adventure of her life.

* * *

It wasn’t long before the roads began to narrow, signalling that their destination was near. It was around four in the afternoon, and the small fishing town was just closing down for the day. In the sparkling August sunlight, the sea glimmered, languidly spilling over the rocks on the shoreline, lapping at the docked boats. The car trundled past vacant holiday homes, towards the back end of town, where it came to a stop outside a petite, two-storey house.

This was it.

Hilda retrieved her suitcase from Professor Juniper, who was helping to unload their luggage, and heaved it into the front room. A cute kitchenette was crammed into the back corner, accompanied by a presumably empty fridge, and in the middle of the room was a little dining room table. As Hilda trailed her bag towards the stairs, she noted with some relief the TV, which stood at the back wall. Her tournament recordings would certainly see some good use on that thing...

"Upstairs, darling!" her mother said.

"I know!" Hilda grunted in response, lugging her trunk up and pushing against the door.

When she flicked the light on, the first thing Hilda noticed was how... compact it was. Certainly less spacious than her bedroom in Johto. A bare bed sat in the corner, opposite a tiny wooden desk that looked as though it might be falling apart, with an empty book case in the corner. This room was in need of some serious dress up. Hilda wiped her feet on the tattered purple rug.

She knew she couldn’t complain. This was for her, and she had never felt more grateful for her mothers kind nature in all her life. Wendy was so quick to agree to Professor Juniper’s offer, which probably had something to do with the fact that they were childhood friends. This time no one could stop her.

Moreover, Unova was the perfect place to start her journey. Even the name sounded exciting! Dumping her bags, Hilda headed back downstairs, where her mother and the professor were locked in a quiet debate.

"Please, Wendy. It'll be good for you..."

"I know, I'm sorry, it's just so overwhelming, everything..." Hilda awkwardly leaned against the doorway, catching the attention of the two adults. As if defeated by her presence, her mother nodded to Juniper. "We'll be there."

Whatever this was about, Hilda wasn’t sure she was ready.

* * *

“Are you _sure_ I don’t look fat?” Wendy asked, bending over in front of the bathroom mirror for the millionth time, “Just be totally honest with me. You won’t hurt my feelings.”

As it turned out, they had agreed to go to a dinner party for the soon-to-be Pokedex holders and their parents. Hilda had dressed casually, as instructed. Her hair was pulled back into a high ponytail and she wore and white tank top with a pair of make-shift shorts. She had cut them herself a while back in an act of petty defiance, and thought that they actually looked pretty cool. Her mother, on the other hand, had spent an inordinate amount of time obsessing over her make up, struggling to conceptualise that she was overdressing immensely. She had put an embarrassing amount of effort into perfecting her outfit, worrying about 'first impressions' and the like.

"You literally look great," Hilda sighed, messing around on her XTransceiver to pass the time. 'Flappy Pidgey' was her new favourite.

"You're lying."

"Why would I lie, mum?"

After some more fussing, the two of them eventually made it out of the house, and speed-walked to Professor Juniper’s place, where they were greeted warmly by her father Cedric Juniper. Everyone settled down, dinner was served, and her mother even managed to relax a bit after her first glass of wine. That didn’t stop her from scowling and pulling her glass out of reach when Hilda discreetly asked for a sip.

You would have thought nothing could go wrong.

The other guests mingled with each other with ease, but Hilda felt distinctly out of place. Both families undoubtedly knew each other, which made things harder. She was never a stickler for socialising anyway. Talking to people was difficult, but talking to strangers was impossible. Hilda awkwardly cut into her meat.

"What was it like in Johto, Hilda?"

She nearly jumped out of her seat. Across the table was a boy called Cheren. He had a very pointy face, pale with dark eyes and a permanently guarded expression. His hair was black and chin-length, with a short choppy fringe, and he wore glasses, which awarded him with an extremely calculating demeanour. What was it about people with glasses? He ultimately seemed very well put-together, not to mention the way he held his knife and fork made Hilda weirdly uncomfortable...

"Um, I don't really know. We never travelled much." Her answer was noncommittal, and visibly disappointed him, so she hastened to think of something more interesting to say. "But, uh, Goldenrod was really nice." Pig-shit. "And... there was lots of stuff to do."

"I'm sooo jealous!" The voice came from the girl sat next to her. Bianca was very bubbly - almost unbearably so - and her appearance matched that perfectly. A plump blonde bob framing her pink face, with large green eyes and a wide toothy smile, it was hard not too feel happy talking to her. "I've literally _always_ wanted to visit Johto! Goldenrod is, like, the central hub of the region, isn’t it?"

"I guess so, yeah. There's always something going on." She felt her chest swell with warmth at Bianca’s enthusiasm. This was cut short, however, by the gruff voice of the man sitting beside the other girl.

"A lot of crime in Goldenrod, I presume...” Bianca’s dad had a blooming moustache and permanent frown etched into his features: his contribution felt so unrelated that no one at the table really knew how to react.

Assuming it was directed at her, Hilda made an attempt to appease him, “Um, I guess? Not really though, we have good police.” Ah, an opportunity! So this was how normal people did it. “Mum was in the police, weren’t you?”

“Ah, yes, I suppose I was for a little while, lovely...”

”That’s so interesting, Mrs White,” Cheren said. His voice made it seem like he found nothing interesting. He had his parents with him, who both nodded in agreement, and began asking questions, diluting the tension.

"Yeah, that’s like, really cool, Wendy! I bet you got to do lots of exciting stuff!"

"Dangerous 'stuff' would be more appropriate, I think, poppet." Bianca’s dad was obviously a bit of a weirdo. He was making everyone very uncomfortable. Professor Juniper rose out of her seat, awkwardly offering more roast potatoes.

"Dad..." Bianca put her hand on his arm in an attempt to quell him.

"Right now, the police in Unova are working to take down Team Plasma," he continued, ignoring his daughter. She seemed to grow more uncomfortable at the mention of the group. “I don’t suppose you’ve heard of them, Miss White?”

Her? Why was he asking her? He was kind of getting on Hilda’s nerves now, and she felt herself getting defensive. "No? What-"

"Team Plasma is a dangerous criminal organisation. They steal people’s Pokemon.”

”Dad, you can stop-“ Bianca made an attempt to cut her father off, but it was futile, as the man dismissed her, instead leaning further over the table so that he could make steady eye contact with Hilda.

“How helpless would you be without Pokemon to protect you?” he began, raising his eyebrows in a way that showed that whatever Hilda said, he wouldn’t accept. “Hm? In the real world, things aren’t so easy-“

”Don’t patronise me!”

”Hilda!” Her mother was quick to reprimand the angry outburst, shooting her a sharp glare. Hilda didn’t really care, and neither did Bianca’s father, it seemed, as he was quick to avert his attention elsewhere, evidently using her to make a point.

”Professor,” he addressed Professor Juniper. She sat upright, her expression calm. She _definitely_ knew what was coming. “Surely you’re aware by now how I feel about Bianca, well, about any of these children, going out by themselves into Unova! I mean, it’s ludicrous-“

”Dad!”

”Just a minute, darling-“

”Oh for Arceus' sake, let her speak!”

” _Hilda!_ ” Wendy was firmer this time, putting down her cutlery to grab Hilda tightly by the wrist.

Everything had become quite awkward. Cheren and his parents looked uncomfortable, but said nothing. Bianca was obviously close to tears, her face screwed up in a way that didn’t suit her at all. Bianca’s dad, however, looked strangely victorious, smiling around at everyone at the table. No one smiled back.

”There you have it. How can you expect something so volatile to control a Pokemon? It’s a known fact that teenage brains aren’t fully developed yet! Oh, you’re not nearly as grown up as you think, Miss White, and I think you should-“

”Oh, shut the fuck up.”

There was an audible gasp. Everyone seemed quite aghast at the sudden escalation, apart from Cheren, Hilda noticed, who was desperately stifling a smile. Her mother looked like she could melt into the floor any moment, seething with embarrassment.

”I beg your par-“

”You know nothing about anything!” Hilda spat. She stood up from her chair, knocking it backwards, glaring down at Bianca’s dad, who stood in an attempt to match her. “Stop treating your daughter like she can’t think for herself. She clearly knows better than you.”

His voice was calm, which made her all the more furious. ”I think you better leave.”

”Yes, I’m so sorry.” Hilda looked back at her mum. How _could_ she? Was she seriously taking his side on this? “We’re going, Hilda.”

Admitting defeat, Hilda made her way to the porch, bitterly throwing on her puffer jacket. It was dark by now. When her mother stood to meet her, and they’d both slipped their shoes on, she called back into the dining room.

”Dickhead.”

* * *

Was it worth it?

Definitely not.

Now that the fire in her stomach had calmed down, and the pounding in her head had quietened, Hilda was left with nothing but humiliation and regret. What if she’d just screwed everything up? What if the professor thought that the old git was right? That she couldn’t handle a Pokemon? Then what?

It would all be for nothing, that’s what.

She pulled her duvet covers tighter over her head, wishing she could suffocate. She had just been so angry, and she wasn’t even sure why. It wasn’t out of the ordinary for her to allow her temper get the best of her, but she hadn’t at all seen it coming. All of a sudden this red hot rage came spilling out of her as if she was a sponge being squeezed dry. Now, reality was just taking its seat. 

Undeniably, her mother had it worse. Hilda couldn’t even begin to imagine the humiliation she was feeling. Mum was the one who had given up everything to move here, to help Hilda fulfil her dream, and what did she get in return? Nothing. Hilda hadn’t even mustered so much as an apology.

”Hilda.”

No time like the present. It was her mother calling from downstairs. Reluctantly, Hilda dragged herself off of her mattress, and traipsed towards the door. As she was came down the stairs, remorse pooled in her stomach, and she felt like she could throw up.

”I’m so sorry, mum, I-“

Her mother was there, looking up expectantly, but she wasn’t alone.

”There’s some for you too, Mrs White.”

Whatever Hilda had prepared for, it wasn’t this. Cheren and Bianca stood side by side in the doorway, each holding a small package in outstretched hands.

”Oh, Hilda! The professor said it was a shame for you to miss dessert, so she asked us to bring some,” Bianca’s face was still a little swollen, and she’d definitely been crying, a thought which made Hilda’s insides clench uncomfortably. God, she was a terrible human being. “Um, try not to listen to my dad. He’s always like that about these sorts of things. Mum thought the dinner might help him come around to the whole idea, but I guess not.”

With some sheepishness, Hilda crept forward and accepted the box, lifting the lid. Apple crumble.

”What you said was necessary.” Cheren regarded her with what appeared to be admiration, although on his tight features you could hardly tell. Bashful, she set the box down. It smelled amazing. “I do believe it probably would have been received a little better if you put it more... elegantly.”

Was he smirking right now? “I shouldn’t have said anything. I’m such an idiot, honestly...” Hilda looked to Bianca. She felt so awful. Without warning, she grasped the other girls hands and bowed to her waist, her head down. “I’m so sorry. I ruined it for everyone, especially you.”

Bianca retracted her hands, shaking her head. “Cheren and I think you’re kinda badass, to be honest.”

”Don’t encourage her,” Wendy said dryly. Hilda felt the corners of her mouth twitch into a smile.

”I’m so sorry mum...” she said. She meant it. “And, um, do you guys still want to be mates? I totally get it if you don’t as I’ve been a right twat, but-“

”Hilda!” They all managed to laugh at that.

That night, Cheren and Bianca’s promises of friendship and Professor Juniper’s apple crumble filled Hilda with warmth, and she suddenly didn’t feel quite as stupid anymore.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello ^^
> 
> Thank you for reading my fic! I’ve had this whole things planned out for a hike now and am finally sitting down to write it thanks to the quarantine haha~
> 
> Hope you’re all well. <3


	2. Two

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Longer chapter this time, hope you all enjoy. :)

Hilda had hardly slept at all that night. She just kept tossing and turning, tugging the heavy duvet cover around her, willing her brain to shut off so that she could get some rest, but her mind was racing. The jet lag wasn't helping, of course, but it certainly wasn't the sole cause of her restlessness. How could it be? Today was the day she'd waited for her entire life: the day her dream would finally come true. She was getting a Pokemon.

She had slipped out of the house at around five in the morning, unable to endure the interrupted snoozing any longer. Nuvema was so beautiful in the morning, and unexpectedly alive, with fishermen already setting out on their boats for the day, water type Pokemon splashing at their heels, swimming along harmoniously beside them. It was dawn, and a dark navy blanket smothered the sky, only brightened by the intermittent stars and the thin stripe of sunlight along the horizon. Life didn't feel so real when everything was this still. It was so unusual, and yet so peaceful, and somehow, Hilda felt more at home here than she ever had in Goldenrod.

Time seemed to go so significantly slower when you were waiting. Hilda discovered this the hard way as she struggled occupy herself within the boundaries of the town. It seemed almost barren, bar the lonely beaches and drowsing homes. Professor Juniper had told them to be at the laboratory by seven, sharp, but even this wasn't soon enough, it seemed, as time crawled by. Hilda briefly pondered who her partner might be. The professor had promised them something special. Despite this, she really didn't want to get her hopes up, and quite frankly at this point anything would suffice. She'd even settle for a Magikarp, if that was the only option.

It wasn't too long before she made her way to the professor's laboratory. It stood proud at the entrance to Route One, sticking out massively against the small, suburban homes that flanked it. It was a mysteriously large building with an enormous orange roof and sliding glass doors, which provided it with a modern feeling that didn't do much to camouflage it. The tiny house of Professor Juniper was only a short walk down the road, but it couldn't have felt further away from her lab. Hilda perched on the cobble steps and watched the sun crawl up the sky.

"Hilda, you're here bright and early!"

She stirred at the sudden voice. Cheren was stood with his hands on his hips and head raised, serving him a very cheerful look which didn't entirely suit him but was smile-inducing nevertheless. He looked very smart, as though he was trying to be impressive, dressed in a red and white shirt and an oddly scholarly blazer. Hilda definitely felt under-dressed in her clothes from last night. She gestured for him to sit.

"Hi Cheren," she greeted. He was still grinning when he planted himself besides Hilda, ferociously ringing out his hands, which wasn't doing much to hide his impatience.

"Have you been here a while?"

"Not particularly," she lied, "Just woke up early that's all." Could she really tell him that she'd barely slept last night? Judging by her dark puffy eyes, there was probably no need for that. They had established last night that they were now friends, although it was hard for her to consider him that when she hardly knew the guy.

"Same here. To be honest, it was hard to keep myself from leaving the house at five." _Ohh the irony_. Hilda smirked at that. Cheren seemed so calm and collected, but in reality he was just as excited as she was. "I just can't wait," he added quickly. You didn't need to look at him to know that he was smiling from ear to ear.

"What about Bianca? 

"Bel is- um, Bianca, even... She's usually late." Cheren said. Bel? Was that a nickname? He'd corrected himself instinctively, but there was no denying that the two were close.

"Do you guys like, know each other really well or something?"

"I moved here when I was six. Bianca was one of the first friends I ever made. She's always so friendly with everyone..." Cheren said. Nostalgia glazed over his eyes. You could tell just from looking at Cheren that he shared some amazing memories with Bianca. Hilda felt that she couldn't comfortably break the silence, but luckily for her, she didn't have to. "He wasn't always like that. Bianca's dad, I mean."

Her temper flared at the mere mention of him. Hilda still felt quite mortified about her display last night, which only proved to light fire in her veins more vigorously. She clenched her fists and looked at the ground.

"Then why now?"

Cheren cast his gaze over her, curious but in a very matter-of-fact way. "I think it was Team Plasma. They came about years ago and have been gaining relevance ever since, not that they're super dangerous, or anything. Before that he was always fairly accepting of the fact that Bianca would most likely leave home to travel one day." If Cheren was at all angry, he didn't let it show. "Things changed, gradually. First it was a curfew, then she couldn't hang out with certain friends - at one point, she wasn't allowed to talk to me - then it was school trips... He just got paranoid, I suppose. He wanted to remove anything that might spark her desire to leave."

A silence settled between them. Hilda stared hard at the ground, believing that if she did hard enough, things might start exploding.

_That prick._

"Tell me, Hilda, why'd you snap so quickly last night?"

Cheren's question took her completely off-guard. Her face relaxed when she looked at him. The boy would probably make an effective therapist, despite his apparent lack of empathy.

"I'm not sure, honestly. I guess he reminded me of someone."

Before Cheren could inquire any further, a high-pitched squeal echoed from further down the road, and Bianca came skipping over, her blonde bob bouncing with each step.

"Yoo-hooooo!" she bellowed.

"Yoo-hoo." Cheren's reply was stoic in an unintentionally funny sort of way. "Congratulations on not being late."

"Oh, shut it you!"

At that moment, the glass doors of the laboratory slid open, and Professor Juniper stepped out, her lab coat billowing behind her like a superhero cape.

"Ready to meet your Pokemon?"

* * *

Both Hilda and Bianca thought that a tour of the laboratory was unnecessary, but knew not to say as much. On the other hand, Cheren could hardly contain his excitement, erupting with questions every time they entered a new room. It had been relatively interesting, Hilda supposed. They had pressed their noses against the glass window protecting the grass type enclosure, passed through a room that was ice cold, one which housed rows of eggs silently incubating, another which was completely dark. All very intriguing, of course, but Hilda wanted to meet her partner, and the sooner the better.

"Now, this room is very exciting," the professor explained, automatically pumping out four sets of rubber gloves from a nearby dispenser and throwing a pair to each of them. Cheren looked as though he might burst he was grinning so hard, practically jumping up and down on the spot. They all pulled the gloves on. "I'm doing some research on a very important artefact from here in Unova. No doubt you might have heard of it."

She pressed a string of numbers into the keypad outside the door, which clicked satisfyingly at the correct combination. A ceremonious breeze seemed to pass them as the door eased open, revealing a dimly lit room, illuminated only by a single, shallow ceiling light. It seemed like something out of a film. A cylindrical, glass jar which contained what looked like a meteorite suspended in viscous green plasma in one corner, a huge computer with millions of multi-coloured keys lining the keyboard in another, and numerous towering bookcases crammed with encyclopedias and science magazines lined up along the back wall. This was definitely the coolest room yet.

In spite of the array of tantalising attractions dotted about the room, the professor moved nonchalantly towards a small glass box in front of them. Suspended from an intricate machine, which looked kind of like a heart monitor, next to the case were numerous wires, all fed into the box through a small hole, and all attached the something in the middle. Hilda slinked closer. What could have possibly harboured such enthusiasm from the professor? What legendary object could require such formidable protection? What could be so amazing?

"This is the dark stone."

A small black rock sat in the center of the container, looking very underwhelming indeed. Hilda raised her eyebrows at Bianca, who looked equally flummoxed. Cheren, however, could no longer contain himself, and ruptured with pure glee.

"You're not serious?! _The_ dark stone? As in the real one, from the legend of Unova? The one with the dragons?" Questions tumbled out of his mouth so fast that there was no way to answer any of them. The professor just nodded proudly.

"Don't burst a blood vessel..." Hilda muttered.

"Yeah, Cheren, you've actually gone really red," Bianca said, her voice sounding almost concerned. It was true. His face was flushed with adrenaline and his glasses lay askew on his face. Who knew Cheren could get so worked up about a lump of rock?

"Although there is little proof behind the legend itself, I've always been fascinated by the tale of the heroes and their dragons..." the professor explained, running her gloved hand over the casing affectionately. "It took a lot of convincing for Lenora to let me borrow it so that I could run some tests, but maybe this'll be what finally establishes the story as truth, or partial truth. At least, that's what I'd hoped..."

Hilda was glad to see she wasn't the only one who was confused. Bianca's blank countenance was very telling, which Cheren hadn't failed to notice.

"The legend goes that two twin brothers fought alongside one dragon. The older brother represented truth, and the younger brother represented ideals. They argued over their beliefs so much that one day their dragon partner split in two. Today, we call them Reshiram and Zekrom," Cheren recalled mysteriously. He seemed very knowledgeable on this topic. "Allegedly, the brothers destroyed the Unova region with their constant fighting, until eventually Reshiram and Zekrom were sealed into their respective stones. If the legend is true, then Zekrom might actually reside within the dark stone, ready to be woken up..."

"Amazing! I didn't even know that!" Bianca exclaimed, her eyes and mouth open in a wide, mystified expression. Johto had its legends too, obviously, but none were quite as cool as what Hilda had just heard. To think that such an extraordinary story could be true... It made her heart beat faster.

"You've certainly done your reading. Yes, what I'm hoping is that I'll be able to detect some type of energy from within the stone, namely by exposing it to electricity. But so far..." Professor Juniper glanced at the level reading on the monitor. "...No luck."

Cheren appeared disappointed, but didn't say anything else. Still, one sentence from the professor's mouth was enough to take their moods through the roof.

"Right. Let's go meet your Pokemon."

* * *

The professor lead them through luminous corridors towards her office, which was located near the back end of the laboratory. Their anticipation was palpable, even as they walked in silence, their paces quickening as they eagerly pressed towards the room where they would be united with their first partner. Hilda couldn't compare the feeling to anything else in the world. She was sick to her stomach, thoughts buzzing through her head, blood pumping, but in the best way possible.

Soon, the four of them reached the door, and they each slipped inside. It shut behind them.

"First of all, here are your Pokedexes," the professor said, sauntering over to her desk. She retrieved three small, rectangular devices that when handed to each of them, suddenly felt very precious. After a light tap of the power button, Hilda's glowed brightly, exhibiting an empty list. "It'll automatically store the data of any Pokemon you encounter, so be sure to check it often. It's your job to fill these with as much information as possible, after all. Now..."

The Professor opened a draw, extracting from it a slim, silver case with a latch on the front. When she flicked it open, the lid retracted, uncovering three, shiny, perfect pokeballs which sat in red, velvety cushioning.

Was this really happening? It felt so surreal. Hilda, Cheren and Bianca waited with baited breath, stiff with suspense as the Professor reached for the first ball.

"This is Snivy," she said, holding it high in the air, twirling her wrist. She pressed a button on the front of the ball and it snapped open sharply, a red beam of light flashing from within. As it hit the ground in a straight line, a slender, bipedal snake-like creature materialised in front of them. It had sharp, brown eyes and a cream cream underbelly, with curled yellow structures protruding from its neck. It hissed smugly. "It's a grass type Pokemon."

"So cool..." Bianca whispered. Cheren nodded in agreement, narrowing his eyes to further scrutinise Snivy, who flicked his tail, invigorated by the praise. Hilda's Pokedex buzzed, registering the Pokemon at the top of the list.

The Pokemon in the second ball was swiftly revealed as well: a cute otter Pokemon, with a large, orange nose and detachable scallop atop its belly. It's black, beady eyes sparkled as it gaped up at the three of them, completely enamoured by the gracious looks it was receiving. It wobbled slightly, as though overwhelmed by the attention, and collapsed onto its rear, smiling giddily up at them.

"Oshawott, the water type Pokemon," the professor dubbed it.

"He is _so_ cute!" Bianca squealed. Hilda couldn't help but grin at the sight as well. Indeed, Oshawott was so cute.

The final ball was thrown into the air, splitting open and unleashing a third Pokemon. This one was orange and pig-like, with a round, glowing tail and perky, red snout. Over its face and body were black and yellow markings, and two pointed ears poked out of its head like a bow. "And this is Tepig, the fire type Pokemon." Tepig did a graceful spin, showing itself off.

"Awwwww, such a good boy!" Bianca cooed. Tepig didn't seem to like that. It pushed back on its legs indignantly, head ducked, and blew hot air through its snout, causing tiny flames to curl into the air. Bianca quickly stepped back, and looked to Professor Juniper.

"You've pissed him off..." Cheren said drily, but Tepig soon turned on him too, stomping its hind legs. "Woah!"

Hilda glimpsed through Tepig's Pokedex entry, wondering if it was a typically volatile Pokemon. _It blows fire from its nose. When it catches a cold, the fire becomes pitch-black smoke instead._ Cute, Hilda thought, glancing through some other data. Footprint, height, weight, egg group, gender ratio... Gender ratio? Tepig only had a small chance of being female. Hilda glanced at the feisty pig Pokemon, which was huffing tiny embers from its snout, clearly frustrated.

"I'm so sorry, Professor, I didn't mean to offend him, ahhhh!" Tepig was lunging towards Bianca now, tugging at the hem of her white dress. She snatched it away.

"Wait, Professor, is this Tepig a girl?" Hilda didn't know why she'd said it. Perhaps it was just inspiration striking at the Pokedex entry, or maybe Tepig's mannerisms were subconsciously feminine. Either way, Professor Juniper smiled wisely, and nodded.

"Well spotted, Hilda."

Tepig seemed satisfied too. It was strange how well Pokemon understood humans, as the little fire-type trotted over and plonked itself on the floor in front of her, gazing up expectantly. Hilda looked at the others for guidance. When all she received was an encouraging gesture from the professor, she gingerly squatted down, so that she was almost on eye-level with the Pokemon.

"Aren't you a sweet little thing," she murmured, reaching her hand out to rub its forehead. Tepig oinked appreciatively. "Okay then, why don't you come with me. How do you feel about the name... Minnie?"

Minnie squeaked with approval, and bounced up onto Hilda's shoulder. She was startlingly heavy, but Hilda managed to retain balance, propping her up with her hands so that she could squeeze more comfortably into the crook of her neck. When she stood back up, Bianca was hugging Oshawott tightly to her chest, and Snivy had slinked its way around Cheren's arm, winding his tail around him and latching on with his hand.

"Um, Professor, Oshawott is definitely a boy, right?" Bianca asked apprehensively, eyeing her friend with some caution.

"Certainly," said Professor Juniper simply.

"I'm going to call you Lucius," Cheren hummed; Snivy was visibly pleased with such a royal name.

"And you're Oswald!" Bianca said, lifting the Oshawott, who called its name merrily, into the air. "Ozzy, for short, I think."

As they made their way back to the entrance, Hilda purchased a pink, spotty bow from the lab gift shop and fixed it to Minnie's head, so that nobody could mistake her for a male Tepig, and the professor bought her a nice pokeball cap on the house. The three of them chatted away, admiring their new partners. Hilda's mum as well as Cheren and Bianca's parents were waiting outside, offering them last minute supplies and words of advice. Cheren's dad seemed to be quizzing him on every battle strategy in existence whilst his mother rolled her eyes, and Bianca's father looked as though he'd never let go after he wrapped his arms around her.

"Call me every night, Hilda. Don't roll your eyes at me! You dare let me worry about you, young lady..." Wendy was fussing over her daughter, fixing her jacket and adjusting her ponytail.

"I'll be fine mum! You'll be the first person I call if I'm in any trouble, I promise," Hilda said earnestly, and at those words her mother wrenched her into an unyielding hug. They stayed like that for a while, and when Hilda finally pulled away, her mother crouched down to look at Minnie.

"Keep my daughter safe, you," she said, smiling. Minnie pressed her snout into Wendy's face, as though she was kissing her.

Eventually, the three of them set off for Route One: the first step of their journey. A forest of trees lined the edges of the winding, dirt path that lead them towards huge grassy fields, broken up by crystal clear ponds, colourful flower beds, and enormous oak trees, which sprung out of the ground. The sun now reigned higher in the sky, causing light to filter through the trees in such a way that it cast a magical speckled pattern on the path. Birds and flying-type Pokemon twittered and soared overhead in a triangular formation and Lucius, Ozzy and Minnie scurried together at the front of the party, acting playful with one and other. It seemed like the perfect start to a journey.

Of course, that was too good to be true.

"Sweetheart, wait, wait!"

Hilda whirred round. Hurtling clumsily towards them was a panting, mustachioed man, clad in a grey, v-neck jumper and sweat-stained shirt, his face red with sweat and tears. Bianca's father.

In an instant, Hilda recognised the fresh wave of anger that thrummed through her body. She felt steaming rage rush through her, and clearly Minnie felt it too, as she noticeably stiffened and eyed Hilda with an air of caution. Cheren murmured something incomprehensible, but Hilda was sure it was nothing kind judging by his irked expression. Did this man not know when to stop?

"Dad...?" Bianca's face melted. Her expression was a mixture of sorrow, disbelief, and anger. Protectively, Cheren reached his hand out to her shoulder.

"Darling... Please... Arceus, please wait..." he huffed, reducing his speed when he realised they'd stopped. "I can't bear it... you're just... just too young, my love..."

"This isn't fair!" Bianca cried. She moved forwards out of Cheren's grasp, her frustration visibly brewing. Out of the corner of her eye, Hilda saw Ozzy move too, looking bewildered by everything that was going on. "Hilda and Cheren get to go, why can't I?"

"Please... Please just come home, with, with your partner... I can't let you leave, it would be... completely... irresponsible." The man seemed to catch his breath. He opened his arms to her, clearly seeking to appease the situation. "I have to protect you, poppet."

Bianca yanked herself backwards, her eyes narrowed with resentment. "I can protect myself! Why can't you see that yet? I'm not a child anymore, I'm a young adult! Why can't you listen to mum?"

"Next year, darling, just wait-"

"You _always_ say that!"

"Will anything change your mind, sir?" Cheren asked coolly, stepping between the two of them. He had his arms crossed over his body, and whilst his thoughts were almost unreadable, Hilda could tell he entertained no pity for Bianca's father. "How about if Bianca proves her strength to you?"

"You know better than anyone I won't change my mind, boy-"

"I hope you know you're a shitty parent," Hilda spat coldly. She couldn't stand the guy. Maybe she was being too harsh, but she wanted him to feel sorry, even if it meant he hated her.

"You have no clue what you're talking about. If you ask me, your mother is the bad parent for letting you run your mouth like that!" _Ouch_.

"Please, please stop!" Bianca was on the brink of tears. Things couldn't have gone worse.

"You're hurting your daughter," Cheren said sternly. The old man seemed to soften at that, guilt wracking through his body at that word. Hurting. Of course, no father would want to bring pain their daughter, and Bianca's dad was no exception to this rule, and when Hilda looked at Bianca, it was plain to see that nothing positive came of her father's ruthless safeguarding.

"Why don't I battle Cheren? And if I win, you let me go with these guys." Bianca suggested. Let me go. It sounded like she was being held hostage by him. Ozzy glanced at Cheren and Lucius, pulling a brave, defiant face.

"No, he might go easy on you..."

"Then Hilda?" Hilda's mouth fell open. She turned and gawped at Bianca. Was this really necessary? Was she meant to lose on purpose or something? Bianca's fierce expression left no room for objection, and before Hilda could protest further, the old man nodded, and Bianca was grabbing a very flustered Ozzy from behind. "Right then. Cheren, you can referee. You're okay with this, Hilda?"

"Uh, I mean- what? Bianca, I-" she stammered, hardly able to process what was going on. Surely this was a rash decision?

"Please, Hilda." Bianca looked so strong when she was determined. They stared at each other, both searching for answers in the other, seconds lapsing by like minutes, until finally, Hilda nodded. She understood. "And I want this to be a normal Pokemon battle. Don't, like, pity me or anything. I want to win by my own merits."

Cheren capably manoeuvred them to where he wanted, placing them twenty feet apart on a large, desolated plain, with plenty of space for movement and little for taking cover. Hilda knew it was hard for him not to be biased; it didn't slip her notice that he tried to offer Bianca some pointers in private, even if she pushed him away austerely. Minnie pushed her bow out of her ears with her hooves, and Hilda took it from her, quickly analysing the moves her partner was able to use with her Pokedex. Tackle, Ember and Tail Whip.

Bianca's dad positioned himself opposite Cheren, arms folded. You couldn't tell what he was thinking.

"Okay, this is a one on one battle. No items are permitted. The battle ends when one of your Pokemon faints and is no longer able to fight. Please vocalise your movements loudly so that your opponent can hear. Do you both agree to these rules?" Hilda and Bianca both nodded. Lucius hissed agreeably. Minnie and Ozzy stood opposite each other, probably about ten feet apart. "Alright. Let's begin."

"Ozzy, use Tackle!" Bianca's voice rang out as soon as Cheren's mouth closed and Ozzy responded immediately, racing forwards with his head tucked into his chest. Hilda hardly had time to react before Ozzy slammed directly into Minnie, knocking her through the air till she landed face down at Hilda's feet. "Nice one!" Bianca squeaked. Ozzy responded similarly, proud of its efforts.

"Minnie!" Hilda cried. She felt so guilty having let her partner take the first blow. Minnie rose to her feet, dirt smeared across her face. "Arceus, okay, we'll get her back for that one girly... You use Tackle as well!"

Minnie lunged forward, bounding some distance off the ground with every kick against the dirt, dust clouding behind her as she scampered across the road. She seemed inordinately speedy. Bianca called out just in time, and Ozzy scarcely dodged the hit, scrambling to the side in order to avoid the blow. Minnie dug her hooves into the ground, forcing her to a prompt stop.

"That Tepig sure is fast..." Cheren mused, as Minnie raced around the length of the pitch to return to her previous position.

"Alright then... Ozzy, let's use Water Gun!" Shit, Bianca definitely had a type advantage there. Maybe this would help her to win easily, though... Hilda sneaked a glance at Bianca's father, who looked strangely engaged. No, she couldn't think like that... Ozzy reared his head, preparing a blast of icy water in his jaw.

"Minnie, dodge it as best you can!" Ozzy leapt into the air and concentrated the attack forwards, causing Minnie to weave dangerously underneath it.

"Nice try Hilda, but you can't escape that easily!" Bianca taunted. Hilda couldn't help but smirk at that. Bianca was clearly having fun. True to his partner's word, Ozzy continued to fire shots of water at Minnie, who leapt and ducked in between them, desperately trying to dodge the ongoing attacks. She planted herself a few feet in front of Hilda, heaving breaths in and out. "One more time, Ozzy!"

A final, irrefutable Water Gun erupted from the Oshawott's mouth, crashing right into Minnie, who cried out upon impact. The splashes sprayed Hilda's legs and she covered her face, shielding herself.

"Yes! Well done Ozzy!" Bianca punched the air victoriously, but Hilda was rushing forwards to check on her partner.

"Minnie! Are you okay?" The fire type was panting on the floor, huffing thick, black smoke from it's nostrils. She looked back at Hilda, her black eyes flashing assertively, and nodded. All of a sudden, an idea crossed her mind. Surely there was more than one way to win a Pokemon battle, after all.

"The type match-up is certainly in Bianca's favour," Cheren commented, checking to make sure Minnie hadn't fainted. Hilda gave him a thumbs up. "I wonder if this battle will be won that easily..."

"One more time Ozzy, use Water Gun!" The Oshawott cried his name eagerly, leapt up and readied the attack.

"Minnie, Ember!" Bianca's face scrunched up into a puzzled expression. Minnie seemed quite perplexed by this command as well, although didn't question Hilda.

From her snout, Minnie blew an inferno of tiny flames. Lucius could feel the heat from his position, and flinched behind Cheren's leg. Simultaneously, Ozzy used Water Gun, which cut right through Minnie's attack, causing black smoke to erupt into the air, enveloping the battle field and clouding the vision of both Pokemon. Ozzy squeezed his eyes shut, hiding from the smoke.

"Okay, Minnie. Use your tail to light the way and then use Tackle!" Hilda couldn't see her, but Minnie nodded, darting in and out of the rapidly dispersing smog.

"What's going on...? Ozzy! Come towards my voice!" The water type stumbled clumsily to the source of Bianca's voice, but the first hit of Tackle was heard by everyone in the vicinity, as Ozzy cried out in surprise. "Ozzy!"

"Now, this is interesting..." Cheren and Lucius were both watching intently. Minnie came crashing into Ozzy with another Tackle, throwing him out of the smoke.

"One more time, Minnie!" Minnie whizzed around the battlefield and raised its hind legs, ready to make the final blow.

"Not so fast, Hilda! Ozzy you use Tackle as well!" The Oshawott struggled to his feet and instantaneously streaked forwards, racing towards Minnie. Minnie started running too, charging towards her opponent. Dust clouded around both Pokemon as they hurtled towards one and other, blurring across the pitch until-

They rammed into one and other, head on.

Silence.

What just happened? Cheren ran forward to check, followed by the girls. Bianca's dad seemed to be making his way towards them too: Hilda had nearly forgotten he was there.

"That's... both of them out." It was a draw?

Hilda scooped Minnie, who was just regaining consciousness, into her arms. She was obviously in no fit state to be fighting. Bianca did the same.

"So awesome, Hilda! That was like, such a cool idea." Bianca said as she brought the other girl into a tight, one armed hug. Hilda wasn't too sure how to respond, awkwardly patting her back with her free hand. When they separated, Bianca lifted Ozzy high into the air, peering into his tired eyes. "You did awesome too, Ozzy, and you, Minnie!"

For a few seconds, Hilda, Cheren and Bianca talked delightedly amongst themselves, invigorated by the battle and completely ignoring the circumstances of it. Their reminder was right besides them, of course, looking strangely content.

"That was certainly... impressive."

Bianca's dad came closer to them, smiling but in a sad sort of way. He opened his arms to Bianca but Hilda blocked his path, putting herself between them.

"You can't take her home," she said, "Not after that." He sighed.

"I wasn't planning to."

Bianca relaxed, and put Ozzy down. "I've always appreciated your point of view dad... But it's time for me to go, now."

"I think... I understand, sweetheart. You looked so wonderful battling, and I know your mother would be proud."

Without warning, Bianca burst into tears. It was so shocking that neither Hilda nor Cheren knew how to react, but they took comfort in the fact that these tears weren't full of pain, or sadness, but instead some very strong emotion that Bianca had been forced to keep in for a long time. This was her letting that go. She hazardously wiped her eyes before she just couldn't help it any more, curling in on herself with great bawling sobs, unable to control anything. She was just so relieved.

"Thank y-ou, dad, oh- Arceus, thank you!" She fell against him, crying into his chest.

* * *

It was noon, and Hilda and Minnie were perched upon a toppled log, some way along Route One, taking in the day's events. After bidding her father an emotional farewell, Bianca, Hilda and Cheren had wandered along Route One together for some time before splitting up. They had agreed to regroup in Accumula Town that evening. Route One was one of the shortest Routes in the Unova region, so taking a short lunch break wouldn't be detrimental to the time she was making. That's what Hilda reasoned anyway, when she dug through her backpack to find whatever food her mother had packed for her.

She was scarfing down cheese sandwiches, whilst Minnie greedily gobbled on some pecha berries from a nearby bush - evidently a sweet tooth. Who knew Pokemon battles could work up such a ferocious appetite?

"You want some?" Hilda offered a bite to Minnie.

"Yeah, actually!"

The voice that responded didn't belong to Cheren or Bianca. Hilda leapt to her feet and pivoted, stance hostile. Behind her was a boy about her height, with messy brown hair and three pokeballs hanging from his backpack. She glared at him.

"Jeez, relax, chick! I was only joking! I don't even like cheese!"

"Why are you talking to me?" Hilda asked coldly. Of course, this boy could be another trainer, just being friendly, but as stated by Bianca, you could never be too cautious. Team Plasma was very prevalent in Unova, according to her father. Cheren dismissed it as propaganda.

"Saw your battle earlier. It was pretty sick," he said casually. At once Hilda's face dropped open in outrage, causing him to backed away.

"Have you been _following_ me?!"

"Arceus, chill, I was coming this way anyway," the boy said, raising his arms in defence. "I wondered if you wanted a milkshake? I know a good diner down here."

Hilda froze, before relaxing a bit. The boy was wearing a plain, black T-shirt and baggy trousers, with a blue jumper tied loosely around his waist. He seemed down-to-earth, and not like a crazed, dangerous, Pokemon thief. She would have argued he was around her age, if a little older, so him making conversation with her wasn't overly creepy. She glanced to Minnie for support, but her Tepig was undisturbed by the stranger, looking up at him cheerfully.

"What's your name?" Hilda said warily. The boy grinned.

"I'm Hilbert. Nice to meet you."


	3. Three

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! Hope you're all well ^^
> 
> We get to know Hilbert a bit more this chapter, so I hope you like my characterisation of him. I really enjoy writing the interactions between him and Hilda! We also meet N this chapter (finally), so that's a big deal. Enjoy ;)

How did things like this even happen?

Hilda hardly knew what to say to Hilbert, who sat opposite her, now that they were tucked into one of the booths at the run down diner situated some way along Route One. Every now and then she halfheartedly sucked on the straw of her pecha berry milkshake, if only to soothe her dry throat. The drink wasn't really her focus as she searched the boy's face for any signs of evil intent. Minnie, on the other hand, was making intermittent pleased sounds as she haphazardly gulped the drink down and stared up at Hilbert, grateful for his generosity. Good to know her friendship could be bought at such a low cost. Hilda felt a little envious of how quickly he'd won her partner over.

“Are you having that?” Hilbert asked suddenly, snapping her out of her daze. She shook her head. “Mind if I…?”

“Go ahead,” Hilda replied, sliding the drink over to him with feigned apathy. This guy was a total weirdo, and she wasn’t done suspecting him just yet. Okay, so maybe he wasn’t a psycho Team Plasma member waiting for an opportunity to rob her, but he’d definitely taken an unprecedented interest in her, which couldn’t be for nothing.

“…Okay I’m honestly getting a bit scared of you now. You look like you’re secretly planning my murder. I know I asked but you didn’t have to give it-“

“I don’t care. It’s your money,” Hilda spat with some hostility. She leaned against the wall of the booth, trying to squish as far into the corner as she could.

“Why are you so mad at me?” Hilbert’s voice actually went a little higher when he asked that, and he genuinely sounded upset. “I'm only trying to be nice.”

“Why? Because you’re a creep?” Hilda bent over the table and narrowed her eyes into a harsh glower, but Hilbert wasn’t intimidated by her. Instead, he was becoming increasingly bemused by her unusual confrontational attitude.

“I don't like that accusation at all, _ma'am_. I only approached you because I was under the impression that you were pretty cool, but o-bviously not.” The way he drew out the word 'obviously' was so condescending that it made Hilda flush red with anger. Just what was he trying to insinuate?

“No, I can assure you that I’m _super_ cool, just not with creeps like you who take random, underage girls to freaky diners in the middle of nowhere-“ A splodge of thick, creamy milkshake splattered on the wall behind her. Across the table, Hilbert was just lowering his straw from his mouth, a wry smile splitting across his face, his eyes glinting mischievously. Hilda was aghast. What a child. She hissed to him, "You are so fucking _dead."_

Just as Minnie was about to take another sip, Hilda snatched the drink away from her, resulting in a disappointed squeak of protest from the fire type. Hilbert had just sent a second shot of milkshake her way, and this time it grazed her bare shoulder. Hilda gasped at the unexpected coldness. She raised her straw and took aim, then blew a hard blast of air from her mouth. The straw popped, launching the thick liquid into the air. It broke apart in a splatter across Hilbert's chest. He looked horrified.

"Dude, you're gonna stain my top!" he said, fervently dabbing his shirt with one of the paper napkins.

"Don't start what you can't finish," Hilda retorted. She handed the drink back to Minnie, who huffed and screwed her face up at Hilda. "Oh, I'm sorry, girly. Please don't be mad at me, how else was I gonna get the creep back? Hey!"

Hilbert had knocked her shoulder with his fist. "Can you legit stop calling me that? I'm only seventeen so you can quit acting like I'm some pervy old guy!" Hilda rolled her eyes. She knew he was right, and that he deserved the benefit of the doubt. Nothing bad could come of him sticking around for a little while, really. She glanced to their right, where the waitress that had served them was looking very unimpressed by their behaviour. Hilbert clocked her too. "We should probably leave, dude."

Hilda nodded, grabbed Minnie and the milkshake and took off towards the door. Hilbert dropped a hefty tip on the table and thanked the owner as they left, still wiping his top.

* * *

"So, where you headed?"

Minnie was curled into Hilda's shoulder, sucking on the straw of what remained of the milkshake from the trainer's hand. She and Hilbert were weaving under a canopy of trees in an attempt to avoid the persistent rays of sun, which shone bright overhead. It was a warm day - Hilda had even slipped off her jacket and stuffed it in her bag. Route One itself was fairly barren in terms of trainers, but absolutely bustling with Lillipups and Patrats, two Pokemon which Hilda had registered in her Pokedex. The Professor would surely be pleased with her dedication.

"Accumula Town. That's where I'm gonna meet my friends tonight." Hilda said, quite happy for the conversation to end there. She still wasn't too comfortable with this other teenager. He seemed very generous, but wasn't that how all predators wanted to make themselves appear? For all she knew, he could be some master manipulator, biding his time until there was an opportunity to strike. But despite that nagging possibility, she couldn't help but warm to Hilbert. He seemed fun and easygoing, and it was almost as though they'd had a 'bonding moment' back in the diner. Perhaps she was just making excuses at this point. With that thought in mind, she continued, "I don't know Unova that well."

"You not from around here then?" Hilbert was quick to pursue this topic, smiling at her as though they were old friends, and not complete strangers that had spontaneously decided to hang out with one and other.

"I've lived in Goldenrod, in uh- Johto, all my life. Mum's renting a house in Nuvema right now, and it's like the weirdest shit ever." It was true: the weirdest shit ever, but in the best kind of way. Unova felt like a dreamworld - like Hilda was already dead and this was heaven. Maybe. "Not that I'd ever go back there. I don't miss that place at all."

"What about your mum? Nuvema is so dead. She doesn't even have her _charming_ daughter to keep her company," Hilbert commented sarcastically, earning himself a punch on the shoulder.

"I am very fucking charming, Hilbert," Hilda said, annoyed. She was well aware that her mother would run to the ends of the earth for her, as evidenced by her leaving their home behind. Was there some guilt there? Definitely. But not nearly enough. "I mean, of course she's sad about dad, but this is her home. She lived in Striaton till she was fourteen with my grandparents. And she has her partners. And the professor. And I'm gonna call her all the time anyway."

"You don't sound so convinced," Hilbert said, throwing her a smug look.

"Don't guilt trip me when you know nothing about my family, okay? That sort of thing is always complicated."

"You can say that again," Hilbert laughed. He adjusted the straps of his backpack, falling quiet for a moment as his jolly facade wavered. Oh?

"What, is your family weird too?" Hilda asked. There was nothing wrong with being a little curious. She was sure there was probably a lot more to Hilbert than he let on, especially due to his incessant need to be a total pain in the ass. People like that typically had something to hide.

"I suppose. I left my family a couple years ago."

"To travel?" A pang of jealousy hit her at the thought of Hilbert having that opportunity so freely. When she was younger, Hilda had always felt so upset when the time arrived for one of her friends to leave home on a journey, usually with a Pokemon they had received as a birthday present. For most people, travelling with Pokemon was an accepted part of growing up. Especially in Johto, kids as young as ten or eleven were trusted with such freedom, so long as they had the right equipment and knowledge, and they passed the exam.

"You could say that, yeah. Anyway, returned home the other day and they weren't there."

Hold on a second... what? Hilda's brain stopped working for a second and she nearly tripped over her feet.

How could he just say something so bizarre so openly?

"Wait, you mean they left without saying anything? That's just weird-"

"Listen Hilda, don't judge me, but I was a total asshole. A really stupid asshole. I dropped all contact with them when I left home, so it's not their fault, it's mine." How was he being so calm about this? Hilbert was making it out like this was no big deal on their part, blatantly blaming himself. How could that be okay? He was only fifteen when he left, therefore he was their responsibility. Did Hilbert really have such an awful family?

"Why would you do that though? And why would they let you? It can't just be as simple as-"

"Don't press, chick, that's really all there is to it. I was an asshole." Pet names aside, Hilda found that hard to believe. Of course, it was hypocritical of her to insist on more information when she hadn't revealed anything to him. Just as Hilda was ready to drop it, a grim thought occurred to her.

"You don't think, well... that something happened to them, do you?"

Hilbert stiffened at that. He looked so ashamed, although you would have never been able to read it from his voice. "Honestly, I don't know. I wouldn't want to assume anything but I also don't want to be so naive. I mean, I was ignorant enough to think I'd be welcomed back with open arms when I returned home, but it wasn't them. Just some other, random family. In _my_ house. I went around and asked some old neighbours about them but no one knew where they went. Apparently they didn't tell anyone where they were headed when they moved. It sucks but I guess I deserve it."

"Isn't that like... really strange to you?"

"...Kind of, but not really. If you knew the extent of my asshole-ery, you would probably get it. I don't know, I'm rambling dude, I just want to see my folks again. Then I can properly apologise. I don't even know where to start, though."

Even if Hilbert had treated them like complete dog-shit, no normal parent would abandon their child like that. This didn't make any sense at all to Hilda, and she could hardly fathom what Hilbert would have had to do to earn such a cold reception from own blood. Maybe her instincts were right all along. Maybe he was dangerous.

"Look, whatever you're thinking about me, it's probably not right." It was as though Hilbert had read her mind. He dropped his gaze to the floor and stuffed his hands in his pockets, making himself seem very small and vulnerable. The negative thoughts evaporated. "You know, when they weren't there, it kind of hit me... I'm super alone right now, Hilda, and since you're doing the gym challenge, I would really appreciate if you let me tag along. I didn't want to bother you with my sob story - honestly! I'm not the type. Just listen to me, dude, I know my way about, all the good places to eat and chill, and I know who not to fuck with so I could be really valuable to you and your mates. I'd keep you guys out of trouble. We would make an awesome team-"

"Hey!"

"What? I didn't offend you again, did I?"

"No, not you, Hilbert, Cheren, hey!"

Atop a large, rock protrusion that faced the vast, sparkling lake, stood Cheren, a pokeball grasped in his hand and his partner Lucius the Snivy on all fours in front of him, breathing heavily. Minnie visibly perked up, dropping the straw from her mouth and calling out to the familiar trainer. Opposite Lucius was a Pokemon Hilda had yet to come across. Instinctively, she reached for her Pokedex, which dubbed the purple feline in a monotone voice 'Purrloin'. Its scythe-like tail flashed menacingly, a coy smile stretched across its face. Cheren barely had time to wave to her before the Pokemon dove towards Lucius, giant claws extending from its right paw.

"Lucius, to your left!" The Snivy briskly leapt aside, causing Purrloin to skid in the dirt, harsh claw marks ripping into the earth. Cheren tightened his grip on the pokeball. He looked oddly dishevelled - his hair all messed up, glasses askew and a sweat was breaking out on his forehead. He nodded to Hilda and her company and was about to resume the fight when he realised that Hilbert was someone he'd never met before. "Hilda, who's that?"

"Um, this is Hilbert!" Before she could say anything more, Cheren was dragged back into battle-mode. Lucius was furiously dodging Purrloin's oncoming attacks, and Cheren shouted words of support to his partner before ordering a Vine Whip from the grass type. Hilda turned to Hilbert. "So... that's Cheren. I don't know him that well yet but he seems super smart. He's kinda cool."

"Ah," Hilbert murmured. He clearly felt a little awkward now it wasn't just the two of them, but Hilda motioned him forwards. If he was going to stick around at all, he'd have to get along with her other friends.

"Caught anything interesting, Hilda?" Cheren shouted to her between his commands to Lucius, who looked as though he had this in the bag by now.

"Nothing yet. Just me and my lovely Tepig," she said, scratching Minnie's head affectionately. "Why, is this Purrloin yours?"

"Indeed! Watch a learn, Hilda! Lucius, use Vine Whip again!" The grass type vaulted into the air, two green lashes shooting from his neck area. The Purrloin called out in frustration, unable to escape the looming vines, which wrapped quickly around its body and hauled it into the air. The Purrloin reared its head back, fangs glowing, and bit down hard into whatever was gripping it. Lucius cried out, his green leashes recoiling back at the contact, and Purrloin fell to the ground, scampering to its feet. "Dammit! Lucius, Tackle it!"

Minnie leaned forward, hooked by the battle.

"I wonder how long he's been going at it," Hilbert muttered. Hilda glared hard at him, and he rolled his eyes. "I'm just saying, Purrloins are _not_ that strong."

"Right, this is it, use Tackle one more time Lucius!" Lucius raced forwards, his arms flying behind its back in order to streamline his slender body as much as possible. Purrloin moved to a position in order to leap out of the way, when something seemed to catch its eye, and it froze. Lucius noticed this, and stumbled to a halt, looking very confused. "Lucius? Are you kidding me? For Arceus'-"

Cheren stopped mid-sentence when he saw what was happening.

"Huh?" Hilda glanced up.

What the fuck?

Out of nowhere, a pokeball was hurled into the air, tapping Purrloin, who's jaw was dropped in utter astonishment, on the head. It snapped open, emitted a thin line of red light, absorbed Purrloin into its shell and clamped shut. Cheren stared with abject horror.

"Wait, what?"

It rocked. Cheren turned to them.

"Was that one of you?"

It rocked again. He looked angry and confused.

"That _really_ isn't funny."

And again. Hilda sneaked a glimpse at Hilbert, who was squinting hard into the forest.

"Cheren, that wasn't us..." she said slowly.

The pokeball clicked.

Silence.

Cheren was positively seething at this point. He was breathing hard out of his nose, clearly humiliated by whatever was going on, and Lucius wasn't too happy either, judging by the firm scowl upon the Snivy's narrow face. Cheren cast his eyes about in a skittish, almost crazed manner, looking very, very annoyed.

"Okay, whoever threw that pokeball can come out here right now!" He folded his arms tight over his chest. Hilda couldn't imagine Cheren in a fight, but with the flush of red creeping up his neck, she might not have to. "You might think its really funny to go around stealing other people's catches, but that Purrloin is mine, dammit!"

Hilda glanced at Hilbert. He was scrutinising the forest with an unusual intensity by now, and so Hilda followed his gaze.

"What a cruel way to talk about such a beautiful Purrloin." A tall figure emerged from the woods. A pale boy, with tousled green hair tied back in a low ponytail, falling half-way down his back, and large, pale eyes. Hilda couldn't help but feel unnerved by his blank expression, not missing the cold chill that ran down her spine. Minnie pressed herself further into her trainer's shoulder. "Yes, I'm sure this Pokemon wouldn't have been very happy with you as her trainer."

Cheren's jaw dropped. He looked from Hilbert to Hilda, seeking support, but both were visibly perturbed by the other boy's presence. Neither knew what to say. Despite himself, Cheren let out a flustered laugh. "Are... Are you joking? I genuinely cannot tell if you're doing this as a joke-"

"Why would I joke about such wonderful beings? Pokemon have thoughts and feelings so complicated that no average human could possibly be expected to comprehend them. However, I am hopeful that you understand why I had to step in." He spoke in an unsettling way too, quiet and yet all too fast, articulating his thoughts with startling ease. Cheren spluttered incredulously, fumbling with his words. Hilda desperately tried to think of something to say to help her friend. "If I can save even one Pokemon from being trapped-"

"Okay, stop right there, fuckhead! We are _not_ talking about Pokemon right now. We are talking about the fact that my friend here was just about to catch that Purrloin, and you straight up stole it!" The other trainer looked quite disgruntled by her words, but clutched the ball protectively to his chest, narrowing his eyes.

"Hilda, really, fuckhead?" Hilbert said, not amused. He looked awfully on-edge about the whole situation.

"Fuckhead..." the other boy mumbled. If Hilda didn't know any better, she would have thought he didn't understand what she'd said.

"Hilda is actually very strong. She'll probably fight you if you don't give me back Purrloin, and then you won't be so tough." Cheren said, ignoring the questioning looks he received from both Hilda and Hilbert. He marched towards the other boy, hand outstretched, offering him the empty pokeball in exchange. "Since me and Purrloin have already gotten to know each other with this battle, it's only fair I get to keep her. I'll even trade you so you won't miss the ball."

The boy grimaced, clearly unimpressed by the proposal. "I don't want that awful machine," he said, pushing Cheren's hand away. He pressed a button on Purrloin's ball, shrinking it, and placed it gently into his pocket. "I intend to release this Purrloin after she has helped me. It must be difficult for her, concealed in here. If you can't accept the truth that Pokemon inside pokeballs will never be perfect creatures, then you're ignorant."

"Me? _Ignorant?_ " Cheren's face was so red now that Hilda was worried he might explode. Suddenly, the strange boy turned to face her, and came closer. Hilbert automatically backed away, reaching for his backpack, but she stayed firm in place, staring up at the green-haired trainer coldly.

"Hilda, was it? Is this your Tepig?"

"Get away from Minnie," she said quickly, taking the fire type into her arms and holding her close to her chest, where Minnie nestled comfortably. Yeah, she wasn't taking any chances today.

"There's no need for concern. Helping your Tepig beyond my reign of possibility. Only you can do that." Hilda frowned, turning her body further away from him. He obviously had no concept of personal space, but the close proximity was making her uncomfortable.

"Don't act like you know Minnie better than me!" Hilda scoffed. She haphazardly stuffed her Pokedex into her pocket out of concern that the boy might take offence to that device as well, but her fingers slipped and it fell. She swore under her breath, bending down to retrieve it, but the other boy was quicker, deftly pulling it from her reach. As it turned out, her worry was well placed.

"...A Pokedex?" he said disdainfully, narrowing his eyes at her in what looked like disgust, although Hilda could hardly tell. His face seemed void of emotion, despite how strongly he obviously felt about this subject. "That's unfortunate. You're going to confine many, many Pokemon in pokeballs for that then... Minnie, tell me, what kind of person is Hilda?"

"Woah, slow down - you talk too fast." Cheren interrupted, moving towards where the boy and Hilda now stood. Hilbert seemed to want to avoid this particular confrontation, and was offering very little in terms of assistance. Cheren continued, sounding completely bewildered by the strange boy's words, "And what's this about her Tepig talking? That's an odd thing to say."

"It's narrow-minded to think that we are above Pokemon when they are capable of understanding us far better than we can them. So sad that you can't hear them. Not listening to our friends is more unforgivable than even trapping them in pokeballs..." he muttered, bending down and moving even closer to Hilda. Minnie slowly turned around to face the boy, screwing up her snout at him. There was a moment of silence, before Minnie called out a few times, just noise that likely meant something to her but couldn't possibly be interpreted by a human. That was unthinkable. Even so, Hilda found herself staring hard at the boy, maybe for some sign of genuine reaction on his behalf. Finally, he backed away, and Hilda let out a breath she hadn't realised she was holding. "Ah."

"What?" Hilda asked with more aggression than she had intended.

"You can rest assured that your Tepig is very fond of you and the hair accessory you bought her, Hilda." She tensed at the nonchalant use of her name in his unsettling voice. You could practically feel Cheren's eyes roll.

"Yeah, I knew that already! You don't need to talk to Pokemon to understand them. Don't think you're so much better than everyone!" Hilda reached forwards and snatched her Pokedex away from him, cradling Minnie in her arms.

"I don't," he replied calmly. "I also don't think she trusts me very much, which makes me sad. I have seen many Pokemon hurt by their trainers. How inhumane that we have come to accept this as normality."

"By that logic, nobody should cook because it sometimes causes fires. And nobody should go out at night because sometimes people get kidnapped. And nobody-"

"Shut up, man..." Hilbert said, putting a hand on Cheren's shoulder to stop him. "People like him don't think like that. It's always so black and white."

"If it were my way, not even one Pokemon would risk that harm," the boy said. Hilda could almost understand his point, when he put it like that. Almost.

"Okay, we get it. Sometimes bad people do bad things. We accept that, but it isn't the case for any of us. Can you _please_ give Cheren the Purrloin now?"

He sighed. "I'm afraid not. Hilda, you're clearly a kind trainer to your Tepig. She is very attached to you. I hope we meet again."

"Just who do you think you are?" Cheren called out, very upset by the whole situation. He was once again prevented from moving by Hilbert, who only tightened his grip on Cheren's shoulder. Having the advantage of height, Cheren's attempts to get away from the taller boy were pretty much futile.

The green haired stranger looked at them, his face completely deadpan and his voice just as flat. "My name is N."

And with that, he turned on his heel, and walked away.

He had misunderstood the question entirely.

Cheren span around to face Hilbert, his face burning by now. "Thanks a lot, man!"

"To be fair, Hilbert, you didn't have to stop him like that."

"There is no way you could have done anything to change that guy's mind. He was, like, super insane. Major God complex, talking to Pokemon and all that bullshit."

"I don't know..." Hilda muttered, lifting Minnie up to examine her more closely. The fire pig was relaxed in her arms, smiling contentedly. Her pecha berry milkshake lay forgotten on the floor. "It was almost like he read her mind or something. I mean, why else would he say that she didn't like him?"

"So say he could, hypothetically, speak to Pokemon. That is weird. Even Bianca would be disturbed by that," Cheren said, taking Lucius' pokeball from his pocket and zapping the grass type inside. There was no way that such an innocent thing was harmful to Pokemon, but Hilda couldn't ignore the way her stomach curled. Something about N had been so compelling, and despite how headstrong she usually was, Hilda couldn't remove the seed of doubt he'd planted in her mind. "Anyway, you guys are gonna help me catch another Purrloin, after I've healed Lucius up."

"I am sorry, dude. I just didn't want any more trouble," Hilbert said. He sounded genuinely apologetic. "I know a real good spot where a lot of Purrloin tend to hang out. We can go find one for you."

"All forgiven, I suppose. I don't believe we were properly acquainted. I'm Cheren. If you're going the same way as us, I'm sure you'll meet Bianca soon. She's wonderful, honestly, but no sense of time management..."

Hilda zoned out as Cheren began his ramble about Bianca. She dumped the almost empty milkshake cup in a nearby bin, allowing Minnie to settle on her shoulder once again.

N, was it...? What an unusual name. Hilda had never met anyone who was named after a letter before. Moreover, he had been so adamant. He had already accepted what he thought to be the truth about Pokemon, but could anybody truly know? Neither her nor him could possibly stop to understand what every Pokemon in Unova and all over the world wanted. It was up to the trainer, surely, to decide upon their ideals for their own partner, and for their partner to do the same. No two Pokemon think or behave as one, and therefore there couldn't just be one definitive truth. Or was she just trying to convince herself of that, now her way of thinking had been challenged?

The three of them had ended up making their way to Accumula Town together, neglecting to discuss the day's events after catching Cheren another Purrloin. Hilbert and Cheren were seemingly getting along a lot better. Having resolved their issues, they set aside their differences and instead took to a rigorous conversation about competitive battling. Hilbert was quite educated on the matter, it seemed, being the more experienced trainer, but as it turned out Cheren had learned a fair deal from his father, although Hilda considered the man to be quite pushy from what she'd heard.

After meeting a very frazzled Bianca, alongside an equally frazzled Ozzy and her new Lillipup partner, the four of them bought some takeaway pizzas, and sat eating in the town plaza. With Minnie, Lucius and Ozzy all rolling around together in the grass, accompanied by Cheren and Bianca's new partners, it was hard not to relax. Their Pokemon occasionally came rushing forwards for bites of food, although primarily stuck to their own, and Hilda lay down in the grass, staring up at the sky.

"So, where do you think they went?" Bianca asked, her voice pinched with concern. She was sat by Cheren, sneaking slices of his pizza at every given opportunity.

"I don't know, chick. I'm gonna look everywhere I can, but they could have even left Unova. Who knows at this point?" Hilbert replied. He grabbed a huge slice of margarita and shovelled it into his face.

"We'll look everywhere we can for them," Hilda said, leaning up on her elbows.

"Aww, Hilda! You do like me after all!" She hit him on the shoulder.

That night, after calling her mother on the XTransceiver as promised and forcing herself not to mention anything about this mysterious 'N' character, Hilda lay in bed, staring at the ceiling of her room. They had booked two rooms at the Pokemon Centre, and in the bed beside her Bianca was sound asleep. Unfortunately, Hilda couldn't say the same.

Considering her lack of sleep from the previous night, Hilda was shocked to say the least that she was managing to remain awake so late. Everything N had proposed seemed so ridiculous, and yet... not. The thought of her ever hurting Minnie was enough to make Hilda feel physically ill, and perhaps she was inadvertently doing so.

She had to stop. This was what he wanted, after all.

Hilda turned over, pulling the covers over her head.

Tomorrow was another day.


	4. Four

Hilda loved the taste of toothpaste. She had been using the same brand since she was five, with a cheerful Vaporeon pictured on the front of the packaging, This was why she was quite reluctant to let Bianca borrow some, even more so when the girl admitted that her only reason for using Hilda's was that the eeveelution logo was cute.

That morning made Hilda understand all Cheren's frustrations about Bianca's timekeeping a lot better. The other trainer had snoozed her alarm twice, even when Hilda insisted she shouldn't, and when Hilda finally caved and shifted the alarm to the other side of the room, Bianca merely ignored the relentless noises sounds until Hilda couldn't stand it anymore and switched it off herself. When Bianca eventually dragged herself out of bed, she moved at a sloth-like pace, which was kind of endearing at the same time as being incredibly irritating. The toothpaste borrowing was the least of Hilda's worries when she realised Bianca had spent fifteen minutes idly brushing her hair.

At around half past nine, they made their way into the lobby area of the Pokemon Centre. It was a relatively comfy place for a night's sleep, and free for all trainers under the age of eighteen, which made it wonderfully convenient. Hilbert and Cheren were sat at a table near one of the windows. That wasn't the first thing Hilda noticed, however.

"Holy shit Hilbert!" she exclaimed, admiring the two Pokemon that accompanied him.

"Hold on, I left my Pokedex in the room!" Bianca yelled. Cheren smiled and rolled his eyes. Blindly, Hilda handed her friend their room key, eyes still locked on the two magnificent beasts in front of her. One was a huge bird Pokemon, almost the same height as her, and the other was an intimidating fighting type, that probably stood at around waist height. She quickly grabbed Minnie's pokeball from where it was strapped to on her bag, and let her into the room to meet Hilbert's partners, before reaching for her Pokedex.

"Um, yeah, this is Braviary right here," Hilbert said, a little stiffly, motioning to the flying type. "And um, Scrafty." He moved his hand to pet Scrafty on the head, who shot him a harsh look. Hilbert definitely wasn't too comfortable with his Pokemon, that was for sure. Minnie was sat shyly at Hilda's feet, ears twitching with her eyes open wide in reverence.

"Go on Minnie, say hi!" Hilda said. Minnie moved forward and Braviary bent down to meet her. He seemed to be a very calm Pokemon, carrying himself with tranquillity but in a way that demanded respect. Scrafty was less forthcoming with his affections, but seemed friendly all the same. Hilda clicked on their Pokedex entries to learn more.

"These are very impressive Pokemon, Hilbert. How long have you been travelling with them?" Cheren asked, admiring the creatures with a thoughtful, evaluating look on his face.

"Since I left. I think they miss my folks though. They've been in the family a long time now," Hilbert explained. He had circuited around Accumula Town once more last night, by himself, to no avail. They would of course check the next town over, and the next, but Hilda couldn't help but feel very pessimistic about the situation. "I've got something I can show you two, though, if you think these guys are cool..."

That had piqued both Cheren and Hilda's interest. They both leaned closer as Hilbert reached carefully into his bag and pulled out a large bundle of jumpers. He lifted them, gently placed them in his lap, and unfolded the jumpers one by one to reveal a large, spherical object. Judging by the way he was holding it, this was very fragile.

"Oh my gosh! Is that an egg?" Bianca rushed forwards, nearly tripping over as she raced towards the group.

"Arceus! Keep your voice down!" Hilbert hissed.

"Where'd you get it?" Cheren asked, resisting the urge to reach out and stroke it. Hilda would never have expected eggs to be so big. Furthermore, the ones pictured in school books were typically pale in colour, but this one was a deep indigo, with small flecks of blue covering the surface. It was beautiful, but it must have been taking up almost all the space in Hilbert's backpack.

"Bought it a couple weeks ago. No idea what's in there, though. Guess I'll have to wait for it to hatch..."

"That is so cool..." Hilda murmured.

"Man, all this talk of eggs is making me hun-ger-y," Bianca said. Whether it was her attempt at making a joke or just Bianca being weird, Hilda didn't know, but soon enough they were chomping down food like there was no tomorrow. Their Pokemon ate from the specially prepared buffet that the Pokemon Centre provided, whilst they opted for a scrambled eggs and bacon on toast.

"Man, it is seriously messed up that you're eating that with Minnie so close by..." Hilbert said, shovelling food into his mouth. If he was trying to make a point, he was being a bit hypocritical about it.

"Don't say that! Minnie is a Pokemon, not an animal," Hilda replied indignantly.

"Yes, just because she looks like a pig, Hilbert, doesn't mean she is one," Cheren seconded.

"...Well, I guess she does _kind of_ look like one now, but when she gets strong enough to evolve that won't be the case." Hilda said. Minnie was scoffing down food faster than anyone at the buffet. Cute.

"Hmm... Maybe I should, like, go veggie, or something?" Bianca suggested. Everyone looked at her blankly. She still had bacon on her plate. Noticing this, she crushed all of the meat onto her fork and took it in one bite. She chewed, swallowed, and then sat with a triumphant smile on her face. "Right, okay! Starting now I'm vegetarian!"

"Woo-hoo!" Hilbert cheered in a very halfhearted way, before taking an extra large mouthful of eggy-bacon. 

"We'll just see how long you last..." Cheren muttered.

"Come on, at least try and support her, dude!" Hilda laughed. She felt so at peace with her new friends.

Of course, this peace couldn't last long.

It was at that moment that the noise coming from outside rose to an unusual level. They glanced between themselves, nonplussed, and Hilbert pulled the blinds open further. They were greeted with the sight of a gathering crowd of people, who all looked rather frantic. The group exchanged a look, before dropping their breakfast. As Hilbert rushed off to pay their bill, Cheren and Bianca returned their Pokemon and Hilda grabbed Minnie. Braviary and Scrafty also looked confused by what was going on, but Hilbert quickly returned them to their balls.

By the time they made their way outside, the crowd had grown to a huge swarm of people. Hilda grabbed Bianca's hand and lead her briskly through the chaos, clutching Minnie tightly to her chest, wanting see what was happening. Cheren and Hilbert followed suite.

"Hilda- ah! Sorry ma'am! Hilda! We're running into people," Bianca said, squeaking another apology as she stood on an older man's foot.

"Stand back here Hilda, I think I recognise these guys," Hilbert insisted, but Hilda had already pushed her way to the front of the crowd, where Bianca stood next to her looking very uncomfortable and smiling sheepishly at the people that stood either side of them.

A wooden, makeshift stage had been constructed on the town plaza seemingly overnight. At both sides of the platform stood hooded men and women in peculiar, medieval uniforms, holding flags with cult-like stillness. Bianca immediately tensed up.

"Hilda, wait, these were the people on TV-" Before the trainer could say anything else, a man appeared up on stage, and his very presence demanded authority. The crowds fell silent.

Long, green hair fell at his shoulders, and one of his eyes was obscured by a strange, opaque lens. He wore white robes with an elaborate, heavy-looking metal piece draped over his shoulders, and billowing behind him was a strange, multi-coloured cloak. It was huge, with what looked like eyes were sewn into the fabric in purple, yellow and red. He was flanked by several of the unusual men and women, who looked like creepy guardian angels in their identical, white uniforms. When he was safely positioned for everyone to see, they bowed, and retreated back.

"My name is Ghetsis," he said, pulling one arm from within the depths of the heavy cloak. "I am here today representing Team Plasma."

Ah shit.

Bianca looked terrified. Her complexion had paled significantly by this point and she tugged on Hilda's hand, signalling for them to leave, but Hilda stood firm. If what she'd heard about Team Plasma was true, they were a terrorist group of sorts that went around stealing other people's Pokemon, but this seemed more like a rally. The group members weren't even making eye contact with anyone in the audience, let alone forcing their Pokemon away from them. Ghetsis spoke with a deep, strong voice that you couldn't help but feel drawn into, and it was that and the fact that this seemed more like peaceful activism than an act of terror that Hilda couldn't help but feel curious.

"Today, ladies and gentlemen, I would like to talk to you about Pokemon liberation."

Pokemon... liberation? A low murmur of confusion rippled through the crowd. Bianca looked distressed, as did many other people, who had probably witnessed the group's actions on TV. Some reached for their XTransceivers to record, others rolled their eyes and dipped out of the crowd, but the majority seemed morbidly intrigued. Sure, they wouldn't take much notice of what the group actually had to say, but this was exciting, in a grotesque sort of way. Minnie was now pressed against Hilda's chest, her ears flat. Hilda adjusted the fire type's bow subconsciously.

"I'm sure most of you believe that we humans and Pokemon are partners that have come to live together because we want and need each other," Ghetsis continued. Hilda narrowed her eyes. Obviously. Humans and Pokemon brought out the best in one and other. That's what her mother had always taught her. They supported and truly cared for one and other. "However... Is that really the truth? Have you ever considered that perhaps we humans... only assume that this is the truth?"

...Assume? That made Hilda's blood curl. Of course neither party truly needed one and other, but Pokemon and humans made each other happy.

"Hilda, we should go, we're right at the front..." Bianca said.

"He's crazy, Bianca!" she hissed, "We can't just let him think he's right about all this! Someone has to say something!"

"Pokemon are subject to the selfish commands of trainers... They get pushed around when they are our 'partners' at work..." Ghetsis strode to the front of the stage and glared down at the audience. The pressure that he emanated was truly immense when you were this near to him. Minnie squeaked a little when Hilda's grip on her tightened. "Can anyone say with confidence that there is no truth in what I'm saying?"

"Yes, you fucking shitfaced piece of shit!"

Had she really just said that?

Bianca whirred around and gawped at her. A few people laughed, some tutted, and a couple moved away from her, not wanting to be associated. Bianca was one of those people.

Yeah, that probably sounded really stupid.

"It appears we have a, ah... challenger. Very interesting indeed. Now, this young lady at the front here claims that she can prove everything I have just proposed to be incorrect," Ghetsis said slowly. Hilda suddenly felt incredibly small. The man was towering over her, and on either side stood Team Plasma Grunts, all of which were now staring at her expectantly. Not only this, but she was now isolated at the front of the crowd, and all of a sudden it felt as though all eyes were on her. She could practically feel Cheren face-palming from where she was stood. "I know I asked for confidence, but your objection seems to be fuelled by arrogance and nothing more, might I say..."

She froze.

That remark cut her. Arrogant? She wasn't arrogant; she was right.

Seconds lapsed by like minutes.

"We are all waiting, girl..." Ghetsis' voice felt like a drill boring into her skull. Hilda could have screamed.

"I... you're a fucking idiot!" she said, finally. Ghetsis smiled. She'd just proven his point very neatly indeed.

"There you have it. Ladies and gentlemen, now is-"

"Wait! You're wrong!"

Hilda stepped forward, looking braver than she felt. A voice from somewhere in the distance, probably belonging to Hilbert, let out a weak cheer, but no one joined him.

"Everything you said about Pokemon... That's wrong!" Hilda said. She wracked her brain, desperately trying to find something to dispute what he'd said. This had to work. This always worked. She had always been quick to shut down stupid people. All around her, people were whispering amongst themselves. Her skin felt like it was crawling with a million ants and her throat was now a dry sponge, soaking up her words before she could get them out. "People and Pokemon... they make each other better..."

Her words were uncertain. Incoherent.

"How exactly do you propose that humans 'better' Pokemon?" Ghetsis asked. His voice was calm, but riddled with spite.

"People... people help Pokemon... They help train them..."

It was like she was drowning.

"Yes, humans pit Pokemon against one and other in cruel battles, for their own gratification. Is that what you meant?" Ghetsis replied slyly. The corners of his mouth twitched into a viscous smile.

"That- that's not what I fucking said-"

"Now, ladies and gentlemen, who are you going to listen to? This young lady is clearly very inexperienced, judging by her _partner_ over here..." He spat the word with such disgust that Hilda found herself physically recoiling. Minnie squirmed uncomfortably under the appraising looks she was receiving. "Pokemon are different from humans. They are living beings that contain unknown potential. Living beings from whom we humans have much to learn. It is ignorant to think that we are worthy of capturing such creatures."

Bianca finally stepped forward, taking Hilda's hand and pulling her backwards through the crowd.

"Tell me, what is our responsibility toward these wonderful beings called Pokemon?" Ghetsis asked, his voice echoing. A couple people in the audience yelled the word out loud, but most remained silent.

Liberation.

"That's right! We must liberate the Pokemon! Then, and only then, will humans and Pokemon truly be equals."

Hilda spared a glance back over her shoulder. Ghetsis was looming over the crowd. He looked quite scary, but there was something agonisingly charming about the man. With his strange charisma he had succeeded in brainwashing a few of the audience members, some of which had broke down into quiet tears, others of which were staring at their pokeballs mournfully. It made her feel sick.

"Everyone, I end my words here today by imploring you to consider the relationship between people and Pokemon... and the correct way to proceed. We sincerely appreciate your attention."

There was no applause.

As the crowd dispersed, the majority of people were making sarcastic comments about Ghetsis' speech, but some were visibly unnerved. Cheren and Hilbert appeared in front of them.

" _You_ ," Cheren said, pointing a sharp finger at Hilda, "Are such an idiot." He genuinely looked angry, or as angry as Cheren could look, which was more like severe annoyance.

"Don't say that! Hilda was just trying to help!" Bianca was quick to defend her, but Hilda was red with humiliation. Poor Bianca had to endure the tremendous second-hand embarrassment that came with being directly associated with her. She shouldn't have said anything. Clearly, most people didn't take Team Plasma that seriously, although some had been profoundly affected by the suggestion that Pokemon were unhappy with what was by now considered normal.

"Hey, don't get so down dude. It was kind of funny, which in a way helped to dismantle the whole thing," Hilbert said patting her on the shoulder. "What was it you said? Shitting piece of shit-"

"I don't even know. I was mad. I am mad. Just shut up."

Minnie, as if in an attempt to comfort her trainer, sneaked her way into the crook of Hilda's neck. She was really warm, as you'd expect from a fire type.

"Whatever, that guy wasn't right in the head. Who knew Team Plasma had such a _noble cause_?" Hilda couldn't help but relax a bit at Cheren's familiar sarcasm.

"We should probably get going, though, dudes. Route Two is pretty long," Hilbert said. He was probably right. There was no use sitting about moping. Yeah, Team Plasma were sort of nauseating, but they were easy enough to ignore.

"How many days do you think it will take to get to Striaton?" Bianca asked. Just as Cheren was about to answer (likely with startling accuracy), something, or rather, someone, seemed to catch his eye.

"Hilda. Battle me."

N was striding towards the group, but his attention was solely focused on Hilda. She looked around at her friends, taken aback by the other boy's request.

"What? Wait, why are you here?"

"I'm going to same way. I thought we should have a battle just now. You said a minute ago that battles were beneficial to Pokemon. I want to see that." N spoke so quickly that it was hard to keep track of what he was saying. As he stalked towards her, their confrontation from yesterday came rushing back, and Hilda's heart began pounding hard in her chest. This time, however, it wasn't pounding with anger. Each palpitation that thrummed through her body was punctuated with... excitement? She wanted to battle him.

N stopped about a foot in front of her, once again very unaware of their proximity. Hilda hadn't noticed how tall he was until this moment. She herself stood at around five foot five, which was probably above average, but N soared massively over her. He had to be six foot at the very least. Just how old was this guy anyway? His face was mature but when he talked it became clear that he wasn't completely socially competent. He was awkward and stoic, and yet fantastically articulate. With any other unusually verbose person, Hilda might have felt inferior, but N almost seemed like an alien. His qualities were diluted into a thin impression of humanness, right down to his name, so it would be ridiculous for her to even start to compare herself to him.

"Will you battle me?" N repeated. His features tightened slightly with what looked like impatience.

"What a bother... So now you're going to act like we're all friends?" Cheren marched over to where the two of them stood. He obviously hadn't forgotten their encounter along Route One, and found the mere sight of N irksome. "Besides, a lot of the things you said yesterday sounded awfully similar to this whole Team Plasma spiel."

"Yeah, you sound like that Ghetsis guy's wet dream, honestly," Hilbert added.

"...What?" Obviously, N hadn't got the joke. He seemed quite slow on the uptake with these sorts of things. Now that Hilda thought about it more carefully though, Cheren and Hilbert were right. A lot of Ghetsis' suggestions about Pokemon seemed to mirror N's own opinions.

"Um... sorry, who's this?" Bianca asked, interrupting the exchange between the group. She looked lost. Of course, none of them had discussed with her yesterday's interactions with N.

"This is, uh, N," Hilda said, gesturing to the other trainer loosely. Minnie was huddled tight into her shoulder, and she could feel the Tepig's apprehension. Perhaps letting off some steam against N would be what both of them needed.

"Oh... As in the letter? That's, like, kind of cool..." Bianca looked a little giddy. That was enough to set Cheren off again.

"Don't be friendly, Bianca. That prick stole my Purrloin yesterday..." he snapped, steadying his eyes on N in a heavy glower. N didn't really acknowledge this, still staring down at Hilda expectantly.

"But... Purrloin was with you this morning, wasn't he?"

"Cheren's Purrloin was actually the second one he tried to catch," Hilbert explained. He looked as though he was trying to remain aloof, but his voice was pinched with frustration. "I'm guessing the other Purrloin is in that pokeball N has."

"Yes," N said blankly. He was visibly unbothered by the bitter looks he was receiving. Cheren just rolled his eyes, but Bianca now seemed afraid, holding her messenger bag tight to her chest. Nobody seemed too keen on the boy, however, Hilda couldn't help but feel fascinated by him. "I talked to her and she said she'd like to battle alongside me. It of course has to be you I ask this from, Hilda."

The others seemed a little put-out by this. They were just about the set off to Striaton City. Striaton was home to many things, but most thrilling of all was the Pokemon Gym, which the three had planned to challenge as soon as possible.

Selfishly, Hilda wanted this battle. Not only would it provide an opportunity to prove herself, and maybe earn some money, but it would perhaps allow her to sway N's view of Pokemon. The harmony of battling alongside her partner Minnie... she wanted to demonstrate that. Surely this wouldn't take long...

"I'll battle you."

"Are we doing this now? Seriously? We were just about to leave!" Cheren said, scandalised. N ignored him. He gave himself some space, then, with a newfound sense of purpose, thrust his arm out and thumbed the button on the front of Purrloin's pokeball. She instantly materialised at his feet, dazed from her slumber. For a few seconds, she looked confused, but the moment she noticed N, she sprang towards him, purring happily. Cheren was resentful of this. "She took to him quickly..."

"Lovely Purrloin, how are you?" N asked, opening his arms for her to more easily greet him. "Do you remember what I said?"

Gingerly, Hilda placed Minnie down. The way N interacted with his Pokemon made her nervous, for some reason. Minnie glanced back for reassurance.

"It'll be quick, girly. We'll take him down in now time!" she told her partner. She removed the bow from Minnie's head and petted her, soothing any anxiety that the Tepig might have been clinging to. Minnie oinked appreciatively. "Alright, let's go."

"Are we going to do rules like last time?" Bianca asked tentatively.

"Fifty pokédollars to the winner?" Hilda called out, to which N nodded.

"Hilda, Bianca's right, if we're going to do this then-"

"Purrloin, go!" Cheren's sentence was cut off by N's voice. The Purrloin pulled her head back and let out a shrill shriek. As if on reflex, Hilda clasped her hands tight over her ears to avoid the awful screeching sounds. It was so high-pitched that everyone in the immediate vicinity had to cover their ears, earning the group some disapproving looks. Minnie wasn't quite so lucky and made futile attempts to push her ears flat against her head. With no specific request from her trainer, Purrloin was battling just as she would in the wild. This time, however, it was likely that she had some new moves to show the duo up with. Hilda tried to gather her thoughts.

"Minnie! Use Ember!" she shouted as loud as she could. Minnie screwed her eyes shut, trying her best to ignore the horrible squeal that Purrloin was producing as she threw her head back, pushing a blitz of tiny flames from her snout. The attack had certainly become more powerful since she had last used it against Ozzy, and Hilda could feel the heat emanating from the battle field. The shrieking stopped at the attack presumably made contact with the dark type, and Hilda called out in support. "Yes! Amazing!" Unfortunately, when the flames cleared, an entirely different story was told.

Behind a thin, green glimmer of what looked like a force-field, stood Purrloin, unscathed.

"Wonderful! You used that Protect perfectly Purrloin!" N cried out as the mystical barrier evaporated. How... aggravating.

"You're not vocalising your commands! How can Hilda possibly respond to that?" Cheren called out. When Hilda caught his eye, it was clear that Cheren wouldn't stand for her losing this match. Hilbert seemed irritated by this too. Bianca was the only one who looked on in awe, completely hooked by the battle. These moves... Just how had Purrloin learnt them?

"It's fine Cheren! We can win without him doing that... Minnie! Tackle her!"

"If she loses, I'm not paying for her lunch..." Hilbert muttered sourly. Minnie lunged forwards. Once again, Hilda felt her mouth drop open in awe of how fast her partner was - unusually so. Minnie was so speedy you could hardly see her moving. Purrloin didn't slip out the way of the oncoming attack, instead, the transparent blockade appeared around her once again. Minnie faltered.

"Minnie, keep going!" Hilda said. She'd seen this happen before on TV. Anyone who watched the Pokemon tournaments as religiously as she did would know that the more times a Pokemon used Protect in a row, the more likely it was to fail.

Just as she'd expected, the force-field flickered, then faded.

"Purrloin!" N exclaimed, but it was too late. Minnie clashed with the other Pokemon at full speed, sending her flying backwards only to land metres away from where she had previously stood, curled up at N's feet. "Are you okay? You can stop if you want, please tell me..." The Purrloin leapt back on all fours, and shook its head assertively.

"Okay, Minnie, let's try using Flame Charge!" Hilda had yet to see Minnie attempt this move on another Pokemon, but the fire type was confident. She stomped her back legs, causing hot, sizzling flames to spring up and cover her body completely. Purrloin called out a few times.

"Please, go ahead," N said. It was as though he was responding to something his Pokemon had just suggested.

Minnie pounced, hurtling towards the Purrloin, but Purrloin moved too, holding her paw high above her head. As Minnie was coming, she leapt into the air, her paw now glowing an ominous purple colour, and plummeted down. Minnie squealed upon impact, but her attack didn't go unnoticed as Purrloin hissed, feeling the singe of the fire type's Flame Charge.

"Was that _Sucker Punch_?" Hilbert asked in disbelief.

"You think so?" Cheren looked concerned. This wasn't over yet. Hilda knew it. Minnie was still ready to end this.

"Minnie! Use Ember!" The Tepig struggled to her feet, but Purrloin was slower. As the feline Pokemon scrambled to get away, Minnie unleashed another blast of tiny flames, which enveloped and thoroughly scorched her opponent. Purrloin cried out violently.

The flames dispersed. Purrloin was lying still on the floor, fainted.

Cheren, Bianca and Hilbert ruptured into a fit of cheers. A couple casual onlookers clapped for Minnie's efforts, before returning to their daily routine. N, however, looked very distressed by the situation, and was racing forwards to meet his partner.

"Purrloin, no!" he cried out painfully, scooping Purrloin into his arms.

"Well done Minnie! You're so strong..." Hilda praised, lifting the proud Tepig into her arms.

"Yay! Hilda won! You'll totally be on your way to the Unova league in, like, no time!" Bianca said as she pulled her friend into a suffocating hug. Cheren and Hilbert also made their way over to offer congratulations, but Hilda's stomach was clenched tight.

N looked so pitiful, bent over his Pokemon like that. It was as though he thought she was dead, grief etched hard into his features.

"N, the Pokemon Centre is right there..." Hilda said, breaking away from her friends. He looked up at her. She was shocked to see that the boy was practically in tears. "They'll be able to heal her. Or I can do it for you, if you want. Or Bianca can, she's really good."

N lifted Purrloin up and hugged her gently to his chest, her pokeball lying forgotten on the concrete floor.

"Ah... thank you. I thought I would win..." he said sadly. He rocked the Pokemon over his shoulder, stroking her back up and down with one of his fingers. Slowly, she opened her eyes.

"Yeah, well, maybe you shouldn't have assumed that. Minnie is super tough." Minnie oinked importantly. Hilda pointed to Purrloin. "Look, she's awake."

"Purrloin!" N gasped, rather loudly, pulling the Purrloin into the air so that he could scan her for injuries. His hands sat comfortably under her shoulder blades, and she mewled, content. "You were remarkable! Such beautiful, inspiring moves!"

His praise for her was endless, causing her to look very pleased with herself. You would have thought they had won the battle, judging by the glowing, satisfied expression that melted across Purrloin's face. However awkward N was with other people, his connection with his Pokemon was unmatched. Maybe that was unavoidable, with an ability such as the one he had. Or claimed to have. To be able to talk to Pokemon... Hilda was inclined to be a little jealous.

"Thank you. That was very informative," N said after some time, sticking his hand into his pocket before counting out fifty pokédollars and handing them to Hilda. She took them from him gratefully. For Minnie, this meant more milkshakes. Without warning, N moved closer and asked, "What's your surname?"

The question was random and unexpected, but she answered as he wished.

"...White."

It was her father's name.

"Hilda White. I think you're very interesting. I hope we meet again."

And with that, N turned and made towards the Pokemon Centre.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! Thank you for reading :)
> 
> I know some of Minnie/Purrloin's moves in this chapter are ones that would have been unlikely for her to know, however, in order to keep battles a bit more interesting, I'm going to be changing up move-sets pretty often, and also using mostly any moves that Pokemon can know, regardless of how they are obtained in the games.
> 
> Again, hope you are all well and coping with the social distancing guidelines. ^^


	5. Five

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Idk why I struggled with this chapter so much lol. Hope you enjoy reading anyways! :)

"Can I show mum the egg?" Hilda asked, waving to the other trainer.

Hilbert was currently foraging, and had his head buried in a huge green bush with juicy, blue berries hanging from its branches. He was doing this for Minnie. Braviary was already happily digging into Hilda's cheese and salad sandwiches, and Scrafty was almost half way through the bag of Pokemon food they'd bought with them. He disjointedly shot her a thumbs up.

"Alright, mum, check this out!" Hilda unstrapped her XTransceiver from her wrist and settled it on the floor in front of her. As it turned out, signal wasn't great on Route Two. On the tiny screen, a very pixelated Wendy pulled her reading glasses on. Hilda's mother had always held the XTransceiver awkwardly, loyal to her generation's trait of being uncomfortable with new technology, and had the device held out far in front of her at an unflattering angle. Hilda rummaged though Hilbert's bag to retrieve the heap of multicoloured jumpers (which didn't smell very clean) and carefully unfolded them. She lifted the egg up and lifted it in front of the camera for a thorough inspection.

"Oh! Wonderful! What Pokemon is it?" Wendy asked, peering over the top of her glasses. She looked like such an old lady.

"Was hoping you'd be able to tell us. I mean, you're more familiar with the native Pokemon than I am. To be honest, I'm actually kind of surprised Hilbert doesn't know..." Hilda said. The egg was beautiful, that was for sure. Its rich purple shell shone brilliantly in the sunlight, the electrical patches of blue which dotted the surface glittering like stars. It looked like a miniature, oval-shaped version of the night sky.

"Mmm... Perhaps a Litwick?" Wendy mused. It was obvious that she was just throwing the suggestion out there.

"Hi, Mrs White!" Hilbert stumbled onto the screen, looking very bedraggled with his hair all messed up. He threw some oran berries onto the floor in front of Minnie, who promptly scrunched her nose up and snapped her head in the opposite direction. "Really? That not good enough for you, buddy? I went out of my way to get those for you. Hilda, you should teach Minnie to be less fussy."

"She is allowed to dislike things, you know!"

"Where are you two off to today, then?" Wendy asked in an obvious effort to break up their potential quarrel. Hilda began to scrape some of the berries into her backpack for later.

"Well, we'll probably reach Striaton tomorrow, but if not we'll definitely get there the day after," Hilda said. Cheren and Bianca had ended up heading in a different direction to her and Hilbert in search of more Pokemon to add to their teams, but by now they were almost certainly ahead. Hilda was finally feeling the pressure to find some potential teammates so that she could level with her friends.

"Oh fantastic! You have to check out the trainer school - do see if Mr Walker still works there, will you? I used to have to hugest crush on him..."

"Oooh, really? He sounds handsome," Hilbert said, raising his eyebrows at Hilda suggestively. She scoffed.

"Gross. He's probably fifty and bald by now."

"Mr Walker would never go bald!" Wendy answered reprovingly. Somehow, Hilda doubted this sentiment. "Right lovely. I've got to get going, I'm meeting Bianca's mum for lunch. Call me again tonight, okay?"

"Bye Mrs White!" Hilbert called. Hilda nodded and blew a brisk kiss to the screen, which soon flickered to black. "Right, gimme that egg. Oh, and get the map out too. I'll show you where we're aiming for."

"Alright, alright..." Hilda said, rifling through her backpack. Whilst she was at it, she tossed Minnie a banana, which Scrafty set about helping her peel. In a few days, he had quickly taken on the role of a paternal figure for Minnie, and whenever he was out of his ball they would walk together. "Here you are, oh wise one! Guide us to through great forest..."

Hilbert took a thick, red felt tip from his back pocket and circled a clearing on the map (X marks the spot, and all).

"Alrighty then, Captain Hilda! Mission 'clear Route Two' is back underway!" Hilbert declared, faux pirate accent and all.

"Aye-aye, Captain Bertie!"

Bertie was a nickname that the two of them had subconsciously grown used to. As it turned out, spending practically all your free time with one person made you quite close, and as Bianca and Cheren were often careering off the main path by themselves, Hilda and Hilbert had grown very accustomed to one and other. They even bickered like siblings at this point, and any caution Hilda might have exercised when interacting with the other trainer on the day they first met, had vanished.

She hadn't had a friend like this in a long time.

"So, Bianca and Cheren are probably at it like rabbits once again," Hilbert remarked casually, returning Scrafty and Braviary to their respective pokeballs. Minnie looked disappointed.

"What? Ew! They're not like that!" The mere thought of Bianca and Cheren doing _anything_ like that was enough to make Hilda's stomach turn. _Gross_. Moreover, the two were childhood friends, so there was simply no way they could ever see each other in that light. That sort of relationship was only a reality in those dreadful rom-coms that her mother was obsessed with.

"Are you kidding me? I'm getting second hand blue balls every time he talks about her, chick."

"That's because you're a total pervert. There's no way they like each other. Cheren literally _always_ complains about her."

"That! That is totally an excuse to talk about her all the freaking time without it evoking suspicion! But he can't fool me, no ma'am! _And!_ And when it's just me and him, he calls her 'Bel'. _Bel._ That totally means, like, beautiful in Italian or something." Hilda failed to see the significance of this. Cheren was so robotic that it was hard to imagine him being affectionate with any girl, especially someone as bubbly and energetic as Bianca. Hilbert gaped at her, flabbergasted. "Man, I feel sorry for any guy who has ever liked you if you're normally this oblivious."

"Hey! I've had boys like me. I've even had a boyfriend before."

This wasn't technically a lie. Hilda hadn't realised it at the time, but the other guy was definitely under the impression that the two of them were an item. Hilbert, obviously, took this as bullshit.

"What was his name?"

"Damon! And he was very sweet."

This was also _technically_ not a lie. Some of her kind-of-ex-boyfriend Damon's behaviours could definitely have been considered sweet, if you squinted really hard. One time, he stole a birthday card from the shop he worked at that said 'happy fourth birthday' with the number one scribbled in front of the four so that it read fourteen instead. Sort of tacky, but the thought was there, somewhere. They went out for about a week, although in his mind it was probably a lot longer. Maybe Hilbert was right.

"Whatever. I doubt you've ever had a girlfriend."

"I'm deeply offended that you would assume that, Captain Hilda! In fact, I was considered quite the heart-breaker at your age!"

"You're literally a year older than me, so pipe down." Hilda liked to remind him of this fact as it often provoked exaggerated pouting faces and theatrical monologues that were so mesmerising even Shakespeare would be rendered speechless by their genuinity. "Give me a name, then."

"Vivian: even her name sounds sexy. She was the definition of a fourteen year old boy's dream girl," Hilbert said, putting his hand to his chest dramatically. Hilda rolled her eyes. "She was a total ginger babe, one year older than me, and most importantly, completely uninterested in our developing romance."

"That sounds like an unhealthy power dynamic."

"All teenager relationships have unhealthy power dynamics. Besides, I was so into her that it was enough for me to tail after her like a loyal dog. And we went out for a year, so it was pretty serious if I do say so myself..."

"Yeah, okay, we're gonna have to stop this conversation right now." Hilda laughed. She really did not want to hear any more about Hilbert's romantic misadventures.

"Dude, I was just getting to the good part! You have to hear about our first kiss. Straight out of a movie-"

"A horror one, maybe."

Hilbert's ran forwards and pushed her. She laughed, clinging to her bag as they stumbled around the corner. Nothing could prepare them, however, for the chaos that lay ahead of them.

Children.

A whole class of them. Dozens of miniature gremlins were scurrying all over the place and stumbling noisily between themselves as their teacher desperately trying to calm them. Something must have gone wrong, as said teacher appeared equally panicked, and you couldn't properly hear a single voice amongst the horrendous cacophony of crazed children. Amid the mayhem, you could just about make out a very frenzied Patrat leaping from shoulder to shoulder in a desperate escape from its pursuer.

"What in Arceus' name..."

Hilbert immediately motioned for them to go another way, but Hilda tugged him forwards. You could hardly differentiate the excited squeals from the petrified ones. Children haphazardly ducked out of the way of Patrat's wild bounces and the Pokemon squawked every time it had to stop for too long. The teacher was now fumbling for his pokeball whilst simultaneously trying to shepherd the crowd of manic children out of harms way. Minnie hopped off Hilda's shoulder and hastened towards the group to get a better look at what was going on.

"Shit! Minnie! Come back!"

"Hilda!"

But the Tepig had already disappeared into the swarm of children and was nowhere to be seen. Under her breath, Hilda swore. Of course it would come to this. Minnie's brazen curiosity had led them into all sorts of awkward situations over the past few days, but none where Hilda had ended up on her hands and knees shuffling through a mob of schoolkids. It was incredibly claustrophobic, not to mention she was trodden on a number of times. Really, Minnie ought to stay in her pokeball more often.

She emerged on the other side and grabbed Minnie from behind, pulling the fire type towards her chest and evoking an oink of surprise from her partner.

"Got you, ya little munchkin! Ouch!" When Patrat tripped over her shoulder and fell flat on the ground in front of her, the reality of the situation began to settle in once more. The man who she had previously assumed to be in charge of this class was right beside her, looking a lot younger than she had previously estimated, and a lot more handsome too. Dark skin, tight black curls and a large, muscular build all wrapped up in one beautiful package. Arceus. Hilda immediately felt her face heating up.

Like mother like daughter, hey?

"Oh, um, hello! Sorry if we're disturbing you. This is my class and I'm just teaching them how to catch a Pokemon." The Pokemon catching part obviously wasn't going well for him. He had turned around to very sheepishly greet Hilda, and seemed eager for her to move along and pay the situation no mind. "Well, if that's all, you should just keep on going. I wouldn't want to interrupt you or your Tepig, after all! Although it may not look like it, Mr Walker has everything-"

Before 'Mr Walker' could say anything else, a tiny caterpillar Pokemon zoomed over head, and shot a thin blast of string at his terrified Patrat, wrapping its body in silky white thread. It fell to the ground, tail pointed straight up, fully paralysed by the binds restricting it. Mr Walker looked as though he was so embarrassed he could melt as Hilda reached for her Pokedex, keen to uncover what Pokemon had caused such a mess.

"Sewaddle, the sewing Pokemon. This Pokemon makes clothes for itself. It chews up leaves and sews them with sticky thread extruded from its mouth," the Pokedex declared in its monotone voice.

"Arceus, Hilda, mind leaving me on my own back there?" Hilbert was suddenly right beside her, having shoved his way through the army of kids. Without warning, the bug Pokemon came flying out of nowhere, knocking Minnie out of Hilda's arms and kicking Hilbert square in the jaw in the process.

"Minnie!"

The Tepig had landed a few feet behind them and was visibly shocked by the unprovoked attack. Disgruntled, she leapt to her feet and scrambled into the middle of the clearing where Mr Walker's Patrat lay, uselessly tied up by hundreds of strands of glimmering, white string. She was agitated, as evidenced by the way her eyes shot from one side of the makeshift pitch to the other, searching for the aggressor. Due to the nature of their surroundings, Sewaddle blended in unfortunately well. If Hilda was to make a guess, the Pokemon was utilising the fibre from its mouth in order to swing from branch to branch - similar to the superhero Spinark-man.

"Damn. Are you alright, son?" Mr Walker asked Hilbert, but the trainer barely had time to reply before Sewaddle came zipping in from amongst the trees once more.

"Behind you!" Hilda called to her partner, but all Minnie could manage was a brief snort of surprise before she was was once again struck from behind. Sewaddle landed in front of her, its black beady eyes not looking as cute as they might have done in a different context.

This Pokemon was not playing fair; Hilda loved it.

"Alright, Sewaddle, time for you to sit the fuck down!"

Hilbert slapped her on the back. Just as she turned around to return the favour, Hilda realised that a number of children were now watching her quite intently, as though she'd just taken over from their teacher. Mr Walker, catching onto this, briskly returned his Patrat to its ball, and made to recover the situation in the only way he knew how.

"Alright, class! This girl here is going to teach us how to catch a Pokemon!"

"What?!" Hilbert shouted. He stared at Hilda, who was now bright red, in disbelief, still nursing his sore face.

Mr Walker then turned to Hilda expectantly. Any logical reasoning she might have had was currently being compromised by the incredibly attractive man that was paying attention to her. For the love of Arceus.

"Um, yeah, I am!" she announced, putting her hands on her hips and turning away in an attempt to hide how flustered she was. Whichever light you chose to view the circumstances in, this was an opportunity. Besides, Sewaddle seemed pretty badass. "Okay, Minnie, let's show them how it's done! Use Tackle!"

As per usual, Minnie's outstanding reflexes allowed her to instantaneously jump into the action, her dainty hooves pounding against the dirt as she surged forwards. Sewaddle, who clearly hadn't anticipated such a rapid response from the fire-type, was hit head on. The impact propelled the Pokemon back through the air, but despite the size of its body, Sewaddle managed to steady itself upon a nearby rock, gleaming with excitement. This Caterpie-lookalike obviously loved to battle.

"Now, remember class, it's good to weaken a Pokemon before you try to catch it. Thankfully, this girl's Pokemon has a really strong type advantage!" Mr Walker narrated. Some of his students nodded sagely. Hilda felt like a poorly-implemented tutorial in a video game.

"Good grief..." Hilbert mumbled.

"Minnie, Ember!" she ordered. She would have utilised Minnie's type advantage earlier if she was thinking straight. Sewaddle's Pokedex entry said it was a bug and grass type, making fire-type attacks four times as powerful. This would be a total cake walk.

For Minnie, using Ember was basically instinct. The Tepig threw her head back, inhaled heavily through her mouth and then let out a sparkling display of tiny flames through her nostrils. At the same time, the caterpillar Pokemon shot its string from its tiny mouth and streaked out of harm's way. Some of the kids cheered - Hilda wasn't sure who for - and then less than a second later, Sewaddle plunged down, mouth open wide and fangs bared with startling ferocity, and then clamped its jaw around the base of Minnie's neck. Minnie squeaked and bucked, trying to get Sewaddle away. The bug Pokemon sunk its teeth in and out, each bite more itchy than the last.

"Minnie, Flame Charge! Into that tree over there!" It was strange how much they had grown to trust each other. Without question, Minnie stomped her legs, and her body once again became enveloped in scorching hot flames. Sewaddle struggled, now being damaged by the unrelenting fire that surrounded the Tepig, trying to get away, but Minnie capably held the bug-type's torso in her mouth, refusing to let go. "Flip Sewaddle to the front!"

Now _this_ was fighting dirty. Hilbert was becoming more and more excited, clinging to his jacket, which was slung around his waist, in awe. Over the past few days, he had grown to love Hilda's diverse and chaotic style of battle, and the way she used surroundings to her advantage. The school children were also loving it, the only sounds that escaped their mouths being enraptured gasps or encouraging shouts. Minnie rushed forwards, clinging to the increasingly panic-stricken Sewaddle, who was struggling amongst the flames. She increased her speed, no hesitation until finally-

_Crash._

"Bullseye!" Hilda yelled, reaching into her bag for a pokeball.

"Right on, Minnie!" Hilbert shrieked, the fire type now slowly backing away from a very frazzled Sewaddle.

This was it: her first catch.

Hilda threw the ball - overarm, just as she'd been taught. She watched as it made contact with Sewaddle and snapped open, absorbing the Pokemon into its shell. She couldn't describe the feeling in one word. There was so much. The pride of having won the battle in front of an audience, the happiness of possibly having a new Pokemon to join her on future adventures, the thrill of Sewaddle's potential escape-

_If you can't accept the truth that Pokemon inside pokeballs will never be perfect creatures, then you're ignorant._

Hilda froze.

"What?" she asked, her voice barely a whisper. She looked around. No one was focusing on her. All eyes were fixated on the miniature red and white ball that sat at the base of a tree, metres in front of her, rocking gently. These tiny movements seemed to imply that the Pokemon trapped inside was... weak. So much weaker than in battle - a mark of defeat.

_A Pokedex? That's unfortunate. You're going to confine many, many Pokemon in pokeballs for that then..._

Her Pokedex remained in her back pocket. She was one of the three trainers entrusted with one by Professor Juniper, and it was the reason she was here, yet what had she done to deserve it? This privilege. This responsibility. This... right?

_Minnie, tell me, what kind of person is Hilda?_

Did people have a right to Pokemon? Did Sewaddle even want to be Hilda's partner?

_Not listening to our friends is more unforgivable than even trapping them in pokeballs._

"N...?" Hilda spoke without realising it, her throat dry. This was her first time catching a Pokemon: a moment she had waited for her entire life. So why did she feel so complicated?

_How inhumane that we have come to accept this as normality._

Everyone erupted into cheers as the pokeball clicked.

Sewaddle was caught.

"Well in, Hilda! First time!" Hilbert whooped, pulling his arm over her shoulder and dragging her into a side-hug.

"What are you going to call it?" asked one of the children innocently. Minnie came trotting forward, proud of her victory despite her now burnt bow, and beckoned Hilda over to where the pokeball lay.

"Well done! That was an excellent demonstration!" Mr Walker was patting her on the back, but Hilda could hardly concentrate.

Just when had she begun to question these things?

Everyone had been so ecstatic to see Sewaddle caught. There was no way anybody here would possibly bat and eye at N's solemn words, and yet she couldn't stop thinking about them. He was the one with the ability to communicate with these creatures, so could anybody else truly question his expertise?

_Stupid, stupid N._

"Uh... mate, you're doing that freaky thing again. Hello...?"

Hilda twisted her head up and locked eyes with Hilbert, who was holding out her pokeball expectantly. Sewaddle's pokeball. He smiled - the sort of goofy grin he made whenever things got a little too tense and he wanted to calm things down for everyone. She took a deep breath.

Now was not the time for an existential crisis.

"Jeez, Bertie, I'm fine, alright," Hilda laughed, reaching for the ball and crouching down to pet Minnie. "Let's see here..."

She tapped the button on the front of the ball and Sewaddle appeared in front of her, looking very fatigued with the leaf hood around its neck hanging loose. Hilda's Pokedex buzzed with some additional information, stating that this Sewaddle was a female Pokemon with extraordinarily high attack power and lower special attack. She was able to use String Shot, Bug Bite, Razor Leaf and Protect. You would have thought the two had been journeying together for a long time by the way the bug-type crawled towards her, crawling onto her knee. Many of the children gathered round, wanting to see the Pokemon that destroyed their teacher's Patrat so swiftly.

"Hey, sweetheart, how you feeling?" Sewaddle groggily smiled when Hilda adjusted her hood. Her maternal instincts always seemed to kick in around smaller Pokemon. "Bertie, can you help patch her up?"

Hilbert grappled with his overflowing backpack in order to find a potion and Hilda reached into hers for some of the oran berries that Minnie had stuck her nose up at earlier.

Hilda turned to Sewaddle, her expression serious.

"You still want to come with me?" This was a precautionary measure. She didn't want to force the bug-type to come with her if she didn't want that, but Sewaddle nodded fiercely. So strange, how Pokemon could interpret human's words so easily. "Alright then. How do you like the name... Victoria? Vic for short - all regal like."

As soon as the opportunity came, the children swarmed after Hilda and Hilbert. Some wanted to ask questions, others wanted to play with Minnie. Reluctantly, Hilbert indulged them in half an hour of story-telling, mostly based around amazing battles that he had supposedly witnessed, giving Victoria time to fully heal.

Once both Pokemon were safely resting inside their pokeballs, Mr Walker approached Hilda and Hilbert, looking very thankful indeed.

"You kids could make good teachers yourselves one day, you know," he said.

"I don't think so, man," Hilbert was the one to reply due to the fact that Hilda had already grown conspicuously quiet, only able to muster an awkward smile. "Mr Walker, was it?"

"Elijah. I guess I get used to introducing myself like a teacher-"

"Wait, Walker? Do you work in Striaton?"

"Yeah. My old man works there too."

How Hilda had not caught onto this before, she didn't know. Wendy's Mr Walker was almost definitely this one's father. Obviously, his family had good genes.

"You know, we're on a field trip, and we're taking the minibus back today, if you want a lift. The least I can do, really, and I'm sure we can fit you two-"

"No need," Hilbert interjected quickly. It appeared he was already going into overload with all the six-to-seven year old kids grabbing at his trousers, eager to hear more from him.

"Um, Bertie, we'd get there by tonight if we said yes-"

After some debate, Hilda gave in, and the two groups said their goodbyes and went their separate ways.

"Thank Arceus that's finally over," Hilbert muttered when the two were finally alone. He was snacking on some dried fruit that they'd bought from a shop not far from where they'd encountered the school children. Hilda huffed.

"I still think we should have taken him up on the free ride."

Route Two felt like it was stretching. The meandering trails seemed endless, every path tediously similar to the one that came before it, and the thought of reaching Striaton by tomorrow was seeming less and less likely, thanks to their little distraction. It was hot, and the trees were growing much more far and few between, providing nearly no shelter from the persistent, scorching rays of August sun.

"This is all part of the fun. Plus, you've got Vic now, so you'll be thankful for the extra time to focus on training. Gym battles probably feel like a big step up from ordinary trainers and wild Pokemon."

"Guess you're right..." she mused.

The first gym. Although you could technically challenge Unova's gyms in any order, with the Pokemon each gym leader used varying depending on the number of badges you had, Hilda, Cheren and Bianca were following a relatively linear route from Nuvema to Opelucid. Hilda had done her research, and Cilan, Chili and Cress, who specialised in Grass, Fire and Water types respectively, were the three gym leaders of Striaton. She wasn't sure about how their gym battles worked, having found very little information online, but with Victoria and Minnie on her side, she already had two of their weaknesses covered.

"Did you do the gym challenge, Bert?" Hilda asked after a sudden surge of curiosity. Hilbert seemed like the ideal candidate, with his strong partners and good knowledge of the competitive scene.

"Me? Nah, I'm not into that sort of thing."

"But... your partners are so strong." Hilbert looked at her sort of blankly. She rolled her eyes. "What I mean is, you should do it. You would totally ace a few of them without even trying. There's no harm in it, is there?"

He laughed in a breathy, awkward way, before saying, "I'm good. I don't really see the point in it."

"Me neither."

Hilda nearly jumped out of her skin. Somehow, she knew it was him.

As if by magic, N was right there, with his stupid nondescript expression and stupid inability to enter conversations like a normal human being. He was walking in the same direction, but a few metres to the left of where they stood, as though he'd been quietly following for a while now, eavesdropping.

Hilbert looked distinctly uncomfortable, as though the green-haired boy had just interrupted a very private moment between the two of them, which wasn't too far from the truth. Whichever way you looked at it, this was creepy, and the innocent look on N's face wouldn't fool Hilda. Not this time. Maybe in Accumula town, things had been different, but N was clearly developing a dangerous obsession with her and her friends.

Not only that, but he had ruined her first catch. Adding Victoria to her party should have been a happy moment, but instead she had been filled with conflicting thoughts which all stemmed from him.

Suddenly, Hilda felt the overwhelming urge to punch him.

"Are you serious? You really are following us, huh?"

"What? I came to-"

"You're actually the worst kind of person, you know?" she said, cutting him off.

Whatever N had to say, she didn't want to hear a word of it, especially if he was going to preach to her like the first time they met. Hilda scarcely resisted the urge to raise her fist against him, knowing deep down that he probably wouldn't fight back.

"Hilda, we should go."

Hilbert put his hand on her shoulder. He was right - none of this was worth it. She took a deep breath, and turned away.

"Purrloin and I wanted another battle before we challenge the gym tomorrow."

She stopped.

N... was challenging the gym?

"Didn't you just say they have no point? Everything you say is a contradiction!"

He'd probably just said it to catch her attention, but Hilda couldn't ignore the way her heart jumped. She wanted to know more about N, and sometimes she thought that he wanted to know more about her too, but at the same time she desperately wanted to slap him. Their last encounter had been so wonderful, full of understanding on both sides, and yet their first had been the complete opposite, leaving her confused and stressed. She hardly knew him, and yet found herself thinking about what he said all the time.

Everything was hypocritical. His brain was like an incomplete puzzle with half the pieces missing. He treated his Pokemon with compassion and love, and yet he wanted a world where he was separate from them. He used pokeballs despite having expressed his distaste in such machines so plainly. And if he truly, honestly heard Pokemon, then why couldn't he listen to the ones who wanted to fight alongside their trainers?

She was confused, but most of all, she was angry.

_So, so angry._

"Hilda, we need to keep going," Hilbert said, firmer. She automatically tensed.

In front of her, N stood with his pokeball in hand, looking strangely vulnerable and... sad. All of a sudden, he felt very far away. When she looked at him, a million thoughts raced through her mind. What did N think of her? Where was N from? What did N want?

Who was N?

"I'm not going to battle you, N. Not now and not ever. Now, excuse us."

Did she really mean that?

As they walked away, she couldn't help but look back at him. The face he made whilst staring at Purrloin's pokeball...

Was the same mournful expression of those who had been affected by Team Plasma's speech.


	6. Six

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First gym battle? Yes please!
> 
> Also, I'm going to try and upload on Tuesdays from now on. Before I was doing once every six days but that didn't really make sense. So, here you go! ^^

Hilda and Hilbert arrived in Striaton at around noon, and wasted no time exploring. The Saturday market was set up in the gardens - a beautiful tourist destination within the city - and so the two trainers made sure to take advantage of the cheap healing items that were on sale. Hilda had to whisk Victoria away from the berry stall when she noticed the bug-type contentedly munching her way through a crate of leppa berries, and Minnie was very reluctant to leave the incense stand, completely mesmerised by the various aromas wafting from behind the counter.

"Check this out!" Hilbert shouted from a few tables down, modelling a fluffy Minccino hat. "Fifteen pokédollars. What d'you reckon?"

"Absolutely. You look stunning," Hilda replied, dishing out ten silver coins to the woman behind the counter. She was buying Minnie a new bow as the Tepig had annihilated the last one in her battle against Victoria, and had become noticeably insecure since.

"Sold. 'Scuse me, ma'am! Can I get this?"

As Hilbert chased after the stall owner, Hilda noticed two familiar faces out of the corner of her eye.

"Cheren! Bianca!"

They were sat beside the fountain, poring over a leaflet, when Bianca glanced up and waved her over. The two of them had called Hilda and Hilbert last night from the Pokemon Centre, showing off their new captures (a Panpour and Pansear respectively) as well as asking when the other trainers would make it. Their little run in with the trainer school had set them back a couple hours, but on a positive note, Victoria and Minnie had gotten in a lot of training, and both were discernibly stronger. Furthermore, some of the trainer's Hilda had battled along the way were very generous with their money, and her wallet was looking plumper than ever. Every cloud had a silver lining, she supposed.

She also hadn't seen N again after their little argument. Either he had the stealth of a ninja, or she had successfully scared him away. Every now and then she'd catch herself looking around for the mysterious young man, but she wasn't sure if that was out of fear or remorse. A small part of her regretted treating him so harshly, though Hilda wasn't sure she would ever admit that. Yes, he was a little... eccentric, but from what she'd observed, the boy was harmless.

Then again, he _had_ been following them.

"Hilda! We can challenge the gym as a team!" Bianca blurted out as soon as Hilda was within earshot. She took a seat beside them.

"As in, all three of us?"

"You do realise there are three gym leaders, don't you?" Cheren said, smirking wisely.

"I know that!" Hilda replied, offended. Although Cheren didn't expected as much from her, she had done her research, only there was scarcely any information was online. All she had gathered was that each triplet used a different type, however she wasn't entirely sure how this dictated who you would battle.

"Well, they have a time slot each day dedicated to triple battles." Cheren said. Bianca was grinning from ear to ear. Hilda had a sneaking suspicion that it was her idea to challenge as a group, perhaps because she was nervous, but Cheren seemed fairly excited by the prospect. " _Personally_ , I think it would be more interesting if we worked together. There are a lot of unique strategies you can employ when there are multiple Pokemon on the field. The only thing, is..."

Cheren handed Hilda the pamphlet and indicated to a small paragraph in the corner of the page.

"Success rates are significantly lower for trainers that challenge in groups..." she recited. Huh. The colourful information booklet was likely produced by the gym itself, so was it an attempt to deter the more inexperienced trainers from challenging in a team? If that was the case, then Striaton's gym leaders were probably sick of newbies running back day after day, only to be crushed by their fire-water-grass combo. Hilda handed the leaflet back to Cheren, and asked, "Why would anyone want to do that, then?"

"To prove themselves, I suppose?" Cheren said, rubbing the back of his neck. Hilda definitely saw some merit in that, being a relatively competitive person herself. "Most groups are formed randomly, though. Just a team of strangers who all want the same thing."

"Which is why _we_ have an advantage! We already know each other, like, really well!" Bianca chimed in. Obviously, everything was already decided for her.

"Moreover, if you challenge the gym, you get a meal discount. I've heard the food is really nice."

"And, they're like, super Pokemon-friendly! It says here: 'specially suited to your Pokemon's dietary requirements'! And, look, 'inexpensive gourmet meals'!"

Bianca had snatched the leaflet out of Cheren's hands, and was animatedly going through the menu. As she pointed to the various, bright pictures of food, Hilda felt her mouth watering.

"Right, let's go get some food."

* * *

"One gym ticket, please!" Bianca said to the hostess.

When Hilbert had finally joined them by the fountain, Bianca was the first to set off, leading the group with sparkling enthusiasm towards the gym. Striaton had gorgeous architecture. Large, old-fashioned townhouses which had been renovated into modern apartment-blocks were spread all over the city, with lots of secret alleyways which snaked throughout. The gym itself was a huge, colourful building, with a grand staircase leading up to the entrance, fenced in by two overflowing flower-boxes. Hanging over the glass doors was a giant, glowing sign in the shape of a knife and fork.

"Are the three of you challenging the gym leaders as a group?" she asked. They nodded. Hilbert hung towards the back to avoid confusion. "Perfect! If I could just see your trainer licences for a moment then, please!"

They all flashed their licences, a requirement for challenging the gym, and then showed their empty badge cases. Soon enough, their ticket was printed, and they were directed to a big table with enough room for the four of them and their Pokemon in the middle of the restaurant. Hilbert was pointed to the large-breed Pokemon section, where Braviary could eat. He ordered the flying-type a fish skewer and Cheren, Bianca and Hilda released their less-sizeable 'mons into the room.

"Hm... I think I'll have the salmon!" Bianca said, slamming the menu down in front of her. They had ended up sending the waitress away twice whilst she tried to decide.

"Really?" Hilda laughed. She folded her arms over her chest, shooting Bianca a quizzical look. "Bianca, I thought you went veggie?"

"Oh yeah! Well, I kinda ended up forgetting and ordered a bacon butty a couple of days ago..."

When the waitress came over, for a third and final time, they each ordered for themselves and their Pokemon. The variety of meals for both people and Pokemon were astounding, as expected from such a famed restaurant. The Pokemon menu was grouped into three sections: carnivorous, omnivorous and herbivorous, each hosting a multitude of options to select from. Hilda picked out a gnocchi dish for herself, and a Mediterranean vegetable platter for Minnie and Victoria.

The food was amazing.

Hilda had never tasted anything so wonderful in her life! Neither had Minnie or Victoria, it appeared, as they scarfed down their meal quickly before racing off to the front of the restaurant, so that they could better scrutinise the colourful pictures of desserts. Usually, after a meal, Hilda would feel mellow and quiet, however, this time she felt completely rejuvenated and ready for the oncoming gym battle, and she wasn't quite sure why.

"Man, thank the lord Arceus for that club sandwich!" Hilbert said, stifling a burp. 

"Yes, the food was great, but let's not forget why we're here..." Cheren said. Hilda began stacking their plates to make room for the tactics sheet Cheren had stuffed into his back pocket. At several points throughout the meal, he had tried to turn the conversation to their impending battle, but now was the only time that everyone was paying attention. "All we know is that we'll be facing a fire, water and grass type. If we use our starter Pokemon, neither team will have a clear advantage - it'll be mostly about which Pokemon are within range of landing a super-effective attack."

"So... should we use our other Pokemon?" Hilda asked. She wasn't sure how comfortable she was using Victoria yet.

"It depends how we want to play it. Most gyms have a strict time limit system to stick to because challengers book tickets for specific times. Additionally, they also might need more time to rest their Pokemon..." Hilda had never really considered any of these things. Being a gym leader must be tiring. "The way I see it, we could try to end the battle quickly by taking advantage of super-effective moves, or, we could go the defensive route and stall them. It sort of depends how they award the badge.

Considering Minnie's agility, avoiding super-effective attacks would be pretty feasible for her, and furthermore her speed would grant priority when landing hits. Hilda definitely knew how she wanted to tackle the match. Just as she opened her mouth to offer her opinion, a waiter approached their table with a bill.

"You should just head past the bar and turn right - there will be signs to direct you from there," he said with a smile.

Guess it was time.

Following his mysterious orders, the group paid, leaving a hefty tip on the table that was mostly supplied by Hilbert. Then, they returned their Pokemon to their balls and made towards what was presumably the battlefield. The corridors narrowed and curved around tight corners, the general noise of the restaurant growing distant and the lights growing more few and far between as they progressed. They passed the kitchen, as evidenced by the divine smells wafting through the door frame, until finally they made it to a set of double doors, with a small slot to insert a ticket into.

"Hold on! Got it!" Bianca slid the ticket in and it was pulled inside. There was a small buzzing noise, before the doors clicked, sliding open.

There is was: the Pokemon Gym.

The room itself was enormous. Stretching across the floor was a huge concrete pitch, with the battlefield marked out in white paint. Overhead, fluorescent lights shone garishly, and on both sides were wooden spectator stands. Finally, displayed along the back wall were three, golden stars.

One for each triplet.

The three gym leaders stood in the middle of the room wearing their restaurant uniforms: black pinstripe trousers and white dress shirts, with matching waistcoats and aprons. Hilda had read somewhere that they split their time fairly evenly between serving at their restaurant and battling at their gym, similar to how most gym leaders in Unova divided their time. Generally, they were very busy people, between their duties at the league and day-to-day jobs.

"Welcome to the Striaton City Gym." Cress was the first to speak. He was the eldest of the three, and had a preference for water types. The large blue fringe that obscured half of his face was a nod to this fact. "I trust that you all enjoyed your meals."

"Yeah! It was really nice thank you!" Bianca said.

"I feel more awake than ever!" Hilda added.

"Is that so...?" Cilan asked. He was the middle brother. His shy but approachable demeanour set him apart from his siblings, as well as his love of grass types. "Yes, well, that's likely because we use my lovely Pansage's leaves to garnish every dish!"

Oh.

Hilda wasn't sure whether or not she was meant to be disgusted by this new information. It was quite acceptable to use Pokemon produce in cooking, so long as harvesting it wasn't harmful to the Pokemon itself. Despite being expensive, Wendy always kept moomoo milk in the house, claiming that it was healthier than animal milk. Hilbert's reaction to this confession, however, was hilarious. It was as though he'd just eaten a Taurus burger.

"Hey! Don't tell them that!" Chili chastised, slapping his brother on the shoulder. You could tell he was the fire type trainer from his flaming red hair and feisty personality.

"Isn't that illegal?!" Hilbert spluttered. Obviously, he was still struggling to grasp what had been said.

"Please relax. In the wild, Pansage offer the leaves on their head to weary Pokemon. It's a natural process and incredibly nutritous. You can't blame us for taking advantage of it," Cress said, pushing one hand into his pocket and retrieving a pokeball. "That said, we should really get on with this gym battle, no?"

"Hell yeah man! I'm all fired up! Let's do this!" Chili ignored the reproving look he received from Cress as he released his Pokemon, a Pansear. The fire-type called out its name energetically. "Triple battles are my favourite!"

"Yes! The coordination required is second nature to us by now," Cilan said. He sent out his Pansage. The well groomed tuft on the Pokemon's head indicated having been trimmed recently, and now the challengers knew why.

"Besides, we are triplets." Cress sent out his Panpour.

"So coordination is our middle name!"

Standing together with their Pokemon in front of them, Striaton's sibling trio looked quite the force to be reckoned with. Bianca was rummaging through her bag for her pokeballs, but she looked more apprehensive than ever, as though she really didn't want to be challenging the gym at all now.

"I say we use our starters and try to play as brutally as possible," Hilda whispered to Cheren. He boy looked uncertain, but nodded, and grabbed Lucius' ball. They moved forwards into the trainer box at their end of the pitch and Hilbert shot them a final thumbs up before making his way to the spectator stands.

"Each person can use one Pokemon and no items are allowed. The battle has a twenty-five minute time limit. Whichever group has the most Pokemon standing by the end of that twenty-five minutes wins," Cress explained.

"And if it's a draw, we win!" Chili shouted.

Bianca frowned. "That's not fair at all!"

"I'm sorry, but those are the rules the rules. Please don't be mistaken - just because this is your first gym, doesn't mean we'll go easy on you!" With those words, it was hard not to find Cilan's pleasant smile completely insufferable.

"We don't need you to go easy on us! Don't be so surprised when you lose!" Hilda shouted. Encouraged on by her enthusiasm, Cheren and Bianca steadied themselves either side of her. Hilbert let out a loud, approving cheer.The three bipedal monkey Pokemon stood opposite jumped up and down excitedly, ready for war. Minnie, Lucius and Ozzy all materialised from their pokeballs, proud to be chosen for such a momentous occasion.

The moment Hilda had waited for her entire life. Her first gym battle.

"Seems like we've got some confidence over here! Pansear, Incinerate!"

And just like that, the timer buzzed and started ticking down. Pansear reacted immediately, throwing his body up into the air and launching three whirling infernos towards of the other trainers' Pokemon. They blazed across the battlefield, moving quickly and giving little time for the amateur trainers to react.

"You can't just start without warning like that!" Cheren shouted, flinging himself backwards when he felt the warmth of Pansear's attack graze his cheek.

His partner wasn't so lucky. Whilst Minnie and Ozzy made swift dodges, the grass snake was caught head on by the flames and instantly seized up, shielding himself from the unforgiving heat that was frying his delicate scales.

"A trainer always needs to be prepared!" Cilan replied, thrusting a hand towards Lucius and signalling for Pansage to attack as well. The grass-type lunged forwards and began relentlessly tearing into Lucius with sharp claws. Cheren called out to his partner to get away, but all the Snivy could manage were sharp hisses of pain under Pansage's rampant scratching.

"Aside from that, team work is a necessity..." Cress said. As if on cue, Panpour scampered forwards, his tongue extending from his mouth until it was abnormally large and, using it, hurled Lucius high into the air.

Seconds later, the grass type collapsed onto the ground with a resounding thud. He was vibrating with sparks of electricity and almost unable to move.

"Lucius, no!" Cheren cried. He looked almost in pain at what was going on.

"Mm... Luck appears to be on our side. Snivy is paralysed," Cilan commented.

"Yeah, that Snivy's toast!" Chili roared.

This definitely wasn't going as well as Hilda had anticipated. Barely three minutes had passed and Lucius was already on the verge of fainting. Cheren actually looked as though he was paralysed too, shock tightening his features and disabling his ability to speak. Bianca was visibly nervous as well, wringing out the strap of her bag and not providing any instructions for a very bemused-looking Ozzy. Hilbert's expression had faded from excitement to worry by now, and Hilda... Hilda was desperately searching for a way to remedy their situation.

Teamwork, Cress had said. It wasn't like they weren't a team. They were stood on the same side of the battlefield, in the same trainer box, each with a Pokemon at their feet. They were allied together, working towards the same goal...

But were they working together?

No. They weren't. They had started the battle with very minimal strategy other than land as many super-effective hits as possible. That would mean fighting three separate single battles in the same area. This wasn't the same approach that the triplets had taken. In fact, the three brothers had ganged up on Cheren's Snivy, despite type-advantages in some cases. By cutting the group's number's down to two, the battle would immediately sway in the gym leader's favour.

"Bianca, we need to protect Lucius. We're going to try to knock out Pansear first, okay?"

Bianca nodded despite her fearful expression. Cheren, however, was doubtful.

"Hilda, Lucius isn't going to be much use to this battle anymore-" Cheren started, but Hilda cut him off, glaring hard.

"You don't know that yet!" she snapped. She wasn't going to let her first gym battle wasn't going to be sabotaged by the cynicism of her friend. "Minnie use Flame Charge on Pansear!"

Pansear startled as Minnie raced forwards, her body alight with glaring flames as she swept across the pitch in a blur and slammed her opponent mercilessly into the concrete. When Bianca signalled for Ozzy to follow this up, the Tepig skidded out of harm's way. Water showered down on the fire monkey, and it screeched helplessly.

"Pansage, use Vine Whip on Snivy!" Cilan ordered, green leashes emerging from the grass type's body as it made towards Lucius, who was struggling to move out of the way of the impending attack.

"Minnie, block it!"

The Tepig obediently sprinted forwards and poised herself in front of the weakened Snivy. Easily, she endured the fierce beating from Pansage, standing strong in front of her teammate.

"Hell yeah Minnie!" Hilbert cheered from the sidelines. Cheren's reaction wasn't quite the same.

"If you keep taking hits for Lucius, we'll end up losing!" he said sourly.

"Cheren, check Lucius' ability and use that information however you see fit." Hilda's retort was quick, and she was soon back in the battle, giving Cheren a moment to check his Pokedex. "Minnie, Ember on Pansage!"

Just as Minnie reared her head to send a flurry of cinders towards the her grass-type opponent, Bianca called out to her partner too.

"Ozzy, you use Water Gun on Pansear again!"

A sharp blast of water shot across the field and made direct contact with the Tepig, blowing her off course entirely.

"Wait! Oh Arceus! I'm sorry!" Bianca whimpered. She clasped her hands over her face in shame. Ozzy looked equally shocked at what had happened, and raced over to his teammate, concerned.

Just like that, they were back to square one.

"This happens a lot with trainers who've never experienced a triple battle before," Cilan said.

"You can't forget about the other Pokemon on the field!" Chili shouted.

"Of course, it can have quite a devastating effect on the battle," added Cress.

Internally, Hilda was seething. What could have been a cataclysmic blow on both the opposing Pansage and Pansear had ended in disaster. Part of her was furious at Bianca for this, but the other part realised that if she let her anger take over, it wouldn't end well for them. Hilda desperately tried to calm her boiling blood as she watched Minnie roll over and struggle to stand, aching to just find a way to turn everything around, when all of a sudden, she heard Cheren call out.

"Lucius! Leaf Tornado!"

Lucius had struggled to his feet, and was now spinning mid-air, a swarming flurry of leaves forming around his tail as he span. Increasingly, wind whipped at Hilda's cheeks, and smaller leaves rushed past her face as they escaped from the miniature hurricane, scattering all over the floor. Minnie struggled to lift Ozzy out of harm's way, but as the storm of greenery grew, so did Lucius' control over it. Rapidly whirling on the spot, the Snivy flashed his tail, and in one fell swoop, sent it crashing down into Panpour.

The water type fainted upon contact.

"What?" Cress said. He was in complete disbelief. He obviously hadn't expected such a powerful comeback from Lucius and was struggling to grasp that his Panpour was no longer fit to battle. He rifled through his pocket for the water-type's pokeball, still confused. "In just one hit...? I'm inclined to be a little impressed."

"Cheren! That was amazing!" Bianca shrieked.

"Lucius' ability is overgrow. It powers up grass type moves when he's close to fainting. Thanks for that, Hilda," Cheren said. Lucius was panting, but the ecstatic expression across his slender face was enough to show how proud he was of his efforts. At this point, they were winning, with only ten minutes left on the timer. This instilled Hilda with the confidence she needed.

"Pansear, use Scratch!"

With one well-aimed slash of Pansear's claws, Lucius was down and unable to fight anymore. So much for winning.

"Wow! Never let your guard down, just because the battle is going in your favour, I suppose," Cilan said, high-fiving his red-headed brother with a mild smile.

"Dammit..." Cheren reached for his pokeball and returned a very withered looking Lucius. He rubbed his forehead, locked in deep thought. "You guys need to end this quickly."

"Don't get hasty. We can't afford to slip up," Hilda replied. One more mistake like the one Bianca had made and they were toast. "We have to work together now."

"I'm sorry... I'll cover you where I can." Bianca voice was a timid whisper, squeezed tight with guilt.

"Alright Pansage! Bullet Seed!"

Pansage flipped backwards, hurling his slim body into the air before showering the two remaining Pokemon in a spitfire of tiny, green pellets. Ozzy flinched away from the sharp, glowing bullets. They bruised his skin easily, only his arms providing minimal cover from the fierce ambush.

"Minnie! Protect her!"

With her typical resilience, the weakened Tepig staggered to a halt in front of Bianca's Pokemon, taking the hits as best she could.

"You need to land some attacks..." Cheren pointed out, impatiently tapping his foot. The clock was ticking down, rapidly nearing their time limit, causing the atmosphere to grow tenser by the second. He was right. If things ended the way they did now, the battle would be a draw, meaning no gym badge.

"Pansear, Incinerate, now!"

Three plumes of fire billowed across the battle-field, darkening the concrete floor as they tore towards Minnie and Ozzy. Ozzy managed to scrape himself out of harm's way, but in the Tepig's withered state, she wasn't able to dodge, allowing the attack to once again chip away at her health.

"I need to get close," Hilda muttered, just to be cut off by Bianca's desperate command of Tackle, with Pansear gracefully dodged.

"Pansage, use Scratch on Minnie!"

This was it for the fire pig Pokemon. As Pansage lunged towards her, Minnie's face melted, well aware that there was very little she could do to stop it.

"Minnie! Bite him!"

Blindly, Minnie jumped forward and dug her teeth into the tuft atop Pansage's head, flipping herself over and avoiding the attack completely.

Then, she swallowed.

Hilda could practically feel the energy surge through her partner's tiny body. When Minnie finally raised her head, her eyes were open and bright, her tail straight and her complexion glowing brilliantly.

"Now, Ember on Pansear!"

With no time to evade the red sparks that blazed heartily through the air, Pansear was hit head on. Evidently, the final attack needed to finish him off.

As if on cue, the timer began buzzing, indicating that their twenty five minutes had passed and that their first ever gym battle was over.

Cheren, Bianca, Hilda and Hilbert erupted into cheers.

"We did it! I told you this was a good idea! I can't believe it!" Bianca gasped, pulling the team into a suffocating hug.

"You and Lucius really pulled through with that Leaf Tornado!" Hilda said into Cheren's shoulder.

"That was mental!" Hilbert was rushing over to the group, barely able to contain his joy as he pounced on them, joining the hug. Ozzy and Minnie sprinted over, jumping up and down and spinning around in adrenaline-filled circles.

"Seems like your Tepig gave Pansage a new haircut." The four broke apart when they realised the gym leaders were approaching them. Cilan was holding Pansage, who had a large chunk taken out of the tuft on his head and was grinning sheepishly. "Using the information we unintentionally provided you with at the start of the battle. I've never seen that!"

"Even if you can't match our super synchronised battle style, you kids did really well!" Chili's voice was loud and booming, but did nothing to detract from the moment. Nothing could wipe the smile off of the reddened faces of the three challengers. "Here."

He shoved an open palm towards them, inside of which were three sparkling gym badges. Each one was long, spiky and golden, with diamond-shaped holes running up the length, filled with stained glass to represent the three types of the gym. Hilda reached for hers, enjoying the how cold and special it felt in her hand.

"Well done, you three. My brothers and I do hope to see you challenging the league someday."

* * *

Hilda dipped her fingers in the water of the fountain, a relief from the glorious but hot weather. Whilst the others had wandered off to the mart to buy some extra items, she had been tasked with supervising Hilbert's Pokemon. They didn't seem to mind this much. Although stoic, Braviary was very protective, and didn't mind providing some extra shade for the small group, which Victoria appreciated. The grass type was laying in Hilda's lap, allowing the trainer to adjust her leaf hood so that it fit better. Additionally, Scrafty adored Minnie, and took to carefully grooming her fur at every given opportunity.

All four were incredibly peaceful.

It was so strange. Around Hilbert, Scrafty and Braviary were different Pokemon. She couldn't find an accurate way to describe it other than strange. Perhaps in the past, the three had been close, but now their trust in him was minimal. To an untrained eye, this was easy to overlook, but having been around Hilbert for a while now, Hilda couldn't help but take notice. They weren't out of their pokeballs often, mostly to just eat and stretch their legs, and when they were they weren't at all affectionate. Hilda couldn't help but feel suspicious.

After all, they had been travelling together for two years now.

She petted Victoria with her free hand. Pokemon were so calming to be around. This was her first time away from people in about a week now and it provided her with a lot of thinking time. Straight after the gym, she had called her mother, who immediately burst into tears of joy and hugged the XTransceiver tight to her cheek. It had made her think about her father.

He hadn't bothered to contact her since she arrived in Unova. She didn't blame him, really. With the way their relationship was at the moment, it would have been completely out of the blue if he did. He was probably feeling quite alone right now, though. Just like Hilbert, his family had left him without much in the ways of a warning.

She wouldn't pry on Hilbert; he had given her the same honour.

"Hilda. How are you?"

She glanced up. Stood in front of her was the green-haired trainer with a letter for a name.

"N..." She caught the softness in her voice immediately and snapped her head in the opposite direction, straightening out her tone. "How come you always appear out of nowhere like that?"

"I don't do it on purpose. You're always preoccupied and speaking is the only way I can get your attention." Purrloin was slung over his shoulders, affectionately rubbing herself on his cheek. Hilda had never seen a Pokemon grow so attached so quickly. Purrloin loved N in a way that she probably never would have loved the aloof and analytical Cheren. "I didn't mean to upset you before."

She didn't really know how to respond to that. Scrafty, Braviary and Minnie were all on guard at this point and N had clearly caught on to that fact, judging by his rueful expression. The three Pokemon stood back with narrowed, aggressive faces, with Victoria being the only one who looked fully relaxed, likely because she had yet to come across this N character.

"Did you get the badge then?"

N nodded, retrieving the prestigious trio badge from his back pocket. "We battled Chili earlier. Purrloin here did a fantastic job." Purrloin mewled graciously. "Did you?"

"Yeah, Cheren, Bianca and I challenged them together," Hilda replied.

A short silence settled over them. Why was he still talking to her, after what she said yesterday? Heck, why was she talking to him? Hilda looked up. N had an odd smile, like one of a young child being asked to do so in their first family photograph but not quite knowing how. He barely opened his mouth, and his face looked a little strained. Despite all of this, Hilda could tell it was genuine. She didn't really believe N was capable of feigning a smile.

"Listen, I'm sorry about the shit I said, but you do get why I reacted like I did, right?"

"I want to be friends with you."

The way he said it was so matter-of-fact it was almost laughable. He was just so innocent. Had he even heard her?

"Well, we didn't exactly start off on good terms. Plus, I don't know anything about you," Hilda answered bluntly. She could feel her neck heating up at this point and turned away, furrowing her brow. No one had asked to be her friend like that in forever.

"Okay..." With both hands, N gently unfastened something from one of his trouser loops and held it out to her. "This is my favourite shape. You can hold it, if you like."

Embarrassed, Hilda forced her eye-line off the ground. The 'something' was a cube, dull yellow colour in colour and similar to a Rubik's puzzle, the only difference being the hollowed out centre. Hesitantly, she took it from him. In her hands, it felt unexpectedly heavy and important. "What is it?" she asked.

"It's a void cube, but that's not the shape I like. Void cubes are based off of the first iteration of a Menger sponge. It's surface area increases with each recursion, whilst it's volume approaches zero - it sounds impossible, doesn't it?" Hilda could tell that N had been wanting to talk about this for a while. It wasn't out of the ordinary for him to speak quickly, but this time his voice accelerated with each word, and he seemed to get louder and louder. She twisted the cube a couple of times, manoeuvring the carefully crafted parts around each other, before handing it back. "I've had it with me since I can remember."

"Was it a gift?"

"I'm not sure. Maybe. What shapes do you like?"

Now this was a question Hilda had never been asked before. To be fair, N quite suited the role of 'maths genius', and it wasn't hard to imagine him in school effortlessly making his way through a sheet of equations. 

"Squares."

N raised an eyebrow at her, pursing his lips.

"Squares? Are you sure?"

Was he seriously so disappointed by her answer? Never in her life had Hilda imagined herself defending the appeal squares, yet here she was.

"Arceus, N, what's wrong with squares? There simple and easy to understand, unlike you!"

"Oh... you don't like me, then?"

"What? No- that's not what I meant! I mean..." Hilda struggled to think of how to continue that sentence as she trailed off. Her view of N seemed to be constantly fluctuating, but one thing remained constant.

Curiosity.

"I think... we're different, is all."

"Me too."

At that precise moment, a dishevelled lady stumbled into the gardens, capturing their attention and looking very distressed. Her hair was tousled and she was still wearing her lab coat, however by now it was stained with water and a bit of dirt. Hilda rose to her feet, pokeballs at the ready. She was prepared to leave if she needed to.

"Has anyone seen a Munna around here? Please! Arceus, please!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I took a lot of inspiration from the manga for this chapter, so you may have noticed some parallels (especially the whole Pansage thing!)
> 
> Hope you enjoyed! See you next week. :D


	7. Seven

"Has anyone seen a Munna around here? Please! Arceus, please!"

The two trainers couldn't help but feel drawn to the commotion. Looking at her more carefully, this lady appeared to be quite young. Her face was smooth, exempting the distressed frown that currently compromised her features, and she had impossibly long hair, giving her a very girlish, innocent look. She could only be a few years older than Hilda, at most. As she stumbled into the mostly empty gardens, casting her eyes about frantically, Hilda became very sure that she wanted nothing to do with whatever was going on. Unfortunately for her, she was an apparent easy target.

"Don't pretend you can't hear me over there! I'm looking for a Munna!" Hilda jumped, her spine straightening as the lady briskly approached them. She was short, but it did nothing to take away from how scary she was up close. Her eyes almost bug-like in size over the tops of her half-framed glasses, and her voice was a mixture of panic and frustration. "He's never left my lab before so I'm sure something weird has happened!"

"I haven't seen anything!" Hilda replied in a much higher pitch than intended. She cleared her throat, looking away as best she could, but this lady was right up in her personal space at this point and allowing very little room for Hilda to correct this. Victoria was also put out by this proximity, it seemed, being squashed uncomfortably against Hilda's chest. "I don't even know what Munna looks like-"

"He's pink and round with a flower print on his back!" she answered without missing a beat. Hilda hadn't realised until now, but the petite scientist in front of her was nearly on the brink of tears. She gulped, trying to ignore the guilt bubbling inside her chest. "He's vulnerable at the moment. Our team was experimenting with his Dream Mist, and... well it's super valuable, and... and I'm worried... I'm worried that _they_ might have gotten to him.."

"Who?" N said. So when it might concern _them_ , he was quick to speak up. Typical. Hilda almost rolled her eyes, but when she turned to look at him, she felt her blood turn cold. N's expression was so stony and devoid of empathy that it would have made even Cheren shit himself.

"You know... _Team Plasma_."

Hilda flinched.

_Don't say anything._

Although N had never said anything of the sort directly, Hilda was well aware that his beliefs at least somewhat aligned with Team Plasma's. It was one of the things about him that was so glaringly difficult to overlook. Just as Cheren had said when they battled in Accumula, the way N felt about Pokemon in pokeballs mirrored Team Plasma's ideals about liberation almost identically. The brick wall that separated them had looked like it was about to come crashing down, but it was much more durable than Hilda had thought.

"Have you ever considered that Munna left of his own accord? I wouldn't particularly enjoy having tests run on me all day."

_For the love of Arceus._

The way he had said it wasn't malicious. It wasn't angry. In fact, his voice was steady and monotone, as though he was discussing the weather. That didn't stop the scientist's face from melting into sadness.

"What...?" she whispered. Her eyes glistened as the first suggestion of tears began to run down her cheeks, a sparkling blear under the lens of her glasses. She hadn't considered this possibility at all, of course, and who would? Only N was capable of being so cynical about the bonds between people and Pokemon. Hilda grabbed the lady's wrist.

"He can't have gotten far. I'll help you and I'm sure my friends will too. Let's go," Hilda said firmly.

She pulled the scientist towards the city centre and Braviary, Scrafty, Minnie followed closely behind, Victoria still clutched to her chest. She reached for their pokeballs, as though to make even more of a point to N, refusing to look back at him.

She knew why she was doing this. If he hadn't said anything, Hilda would have been quite happy to move along, but hearing N once again openly express these twisted views overwhelmed her urge to prove him wrong. They could be friends, alright, but that didn't change the way she thought. In fact, it only drove her to help undo whatever brainwashing the boy had previously undergone. With nimble hands, Scrafty and Braviary returned to their pokeballs to avoid causing to much disruption as they stormed through the streets. Minnie galloped ahead of them.

"Um, sorry, what's your name again? And where are you planning on looking exactly?"

Hilda stopped, the questions going over her head. Walking towards them was Hilbert, Cheren and Bianca, all looking incredibly bewildered and weighed down by various plastic shopping bags, containing mostly food and super potions. They had been planning to stay in Striaton for a few days, giving Hilbert time to ask around about his parents, and were stocking up for the stay.

"Hilda? Who's that?" Bianca asked.

"Um, I'm Doctor Fennel!" They finally had a name for the mystery damsel in distress.

"Her Pokemon has gone missing - a Munna. She thinks it might have something to do with Team Plasma. I think we should help look for it," Hilda declared.

Her new sense of justice was obviously a little out of character, judging by the blank looks she was receiving. Bianca was the first to speak up.

"There's some ruins just outside of the city. It's only a five minute walk away," she proposed, a little timidly. If anybody would want to help, it would be the kindhearted Bianca.

"Route Three might also be a possibility." Cheren said. His expression was unreadable, but Hilda knew that the boy despised the so-called 'Pokemon liberation' group for a number of reasons, and she was therefore confident that he would want to help. Hilbert, however, looked a lot more reluctant, only offering a begrudging nod at Cheren's suggestion. "Have you alerted anyone else? And when did Munna go missing, exactly?"

"The police, yes, plus my whole team is out searching and asking whoever they can get hold of, and, and I'm not sure. I was on my break and- and- it can't have been any other time but- I don't know! Arceus, this is so awful!"

"Bianca and I will check those ruins. You two can try Route Three."

"Everything will be okay, Doctor Fennel, so please try not to worry! If you give me your XTransceiver, we can add each other's numbers!" Bianca said in the most soothing, happy-go-lucky voice she could muster. Fennel managed a deep breath and a nod.

"Make sure to keep an eye on Route Two, as well," Cheren added. Hilda handed Braviary and Scrafty's pokeballs back to Hilbert, and the boys took off in the direction her and Fennel had come from.

"Okay. Let's go."

* * *

'The Dreamyard' was the name of the overgrown wreck Bianca had talked about according to the sign directing them. Wordlessly, the two girls pushed their way through the tangle of trees and shrubbery, covering their arms as best they could to avoid the clawing branches and grabbing vines, until eventually, they emerged in a clearing on the other side. In the daylight, the ruins were tragic yet beautiful. Disturbing was another word that came to mind when Hilda felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand straight. She stared up at the towering, abandoned buildings.

Something was... off.

"Some of the schoolchildren use it as a play area, apparently," Bianca commented, trailing her hand absentmindedly over one of the moss-infested walls. Hilda would have argued it was too dangerous a place for such a purpose. Ivy snaked up inclines and half-crumbled towers, hoarding rubble under its fierce green talons and claiming its throne at the top of the plant hierarchy. Everything appeared on the brink of collapse.

"So people know about it?" Hilda asked. She let Minnie and Victoria out of their balls, allowing them to sniff around a little bit. Ultimately, she was prepared for the worst. Regardless of whether Team Plasma was involved or not, it really sounded like someone had taken Munna by force. They could be attacked any moment. A spooky place like the Dreamyard felt very befitting for such a scenario.

"Well, I think so. It's not exactly a tourist hot spot."

"I can see why."

They turned a corner, doing their best to avoid the sharper chunks of debris. Two metre high fencing made of metal struck out from the floor, blocking further entry.

"Shit... Have you got Pansear with you?"

Bianca nodded, releasing the monkey Pokemon from his ball. "Do you want us to try melting it?"

"That's the plan..."

Minnie and Pansear nodded in understanding. Giving room for the others to back up, they let out a flurry of fire-based attacks. Minnie's furious Ember paired with the raging infernos of Pansear's Incinerate were enough to start dissolving the fencing. It all felt incredibly rebellious, but Hilda was able to push that thought out of her mind as a small hole tore through the barrier in front of them. Victoria span some string over the spiky parts for ease of mind and the girls clambered through the gap, scrape free.

"We could climb up there," Hilda suggested, signalling to the partially destroyed roof that hung over where they were now. A forgotten, broken staircase was there to aid their ascent. "We could probably see everything from up there."

Bianca screwed her face up - hesitant - but nodded, and began to lift herself up the stairs, which was tricky considering the missing steps and seemingly brittle stone. Everything about the situation felt unreal. The eerie, disintegrated structure that enveloped them, the silent lacking of Pokemon, the possibility of a corrupt organisation creeping just around the corner. This felt like the first true adventure Hilda was having in Unova, and it was all because of N. Well, not all, but what he had said was cruel, and - Hilda was certain of this - wrong. She wouldn't allow herself to question what she thought. Not now, at least.

Struggling onto the flat structure above with Victoria in her arms, Hilda yanked Bianca up. Minnie and Pansear were both agile enough that they managed to navigate to the top by themselves.

"Can you see anything?" Bianca whispered breathlessly.

Hilda shook her head. Her heart was pounding in her chest, blood pumping, the slightest rustle of wind causing her body to buzz in alarm. With feigned courage, she crawled along the top, dipping her head over the edge as far as she could without losing balance.

"For the love of Arceus, spit it out!"

Those cold words were followed up by a hard thud and cry of pain. Bianca gasped and covered her mouth.

"Fucks sake. It's sealed up. We're gonna get our asses beat..."

Hilda beckoned her friend over, peering into the clearing. Amongst the fallen oil canisters and litter stood two people: a man and a woman. They had removed the hood and surcoat of their uniform, leaving only a Medieval-esque chest plate, black shirt and trousers underneath, but there was no doubting that they belonged to Team Plasma. Now free to act of their own accord, they looked much more intimidating. This became irrelevant, however, as Hilda soon noticed the terrified Pokemon floating between them, desperately looking for an escape route.

"That must be Fennel's Munna," she said, narrowing her eyes into a hard glower.

"Kick it again, Vi. It's holding that stuff in on purpose."

_Kick it._

Hilda recoiled hard at those words, and Bianca almost sobbed. Munna looked so afraid, stationed between them like that. They had to get him out of there, quickly.

"Why do I always have to do this shit? It isn't fucking fair, alright?" the female grunt snapped.

How long had exactly had they been doing this? Munna turned to the floor, still panicking, searching for a way out, and that's when Hilda realised the purple pattern on his back wasn't just flowers. Large, tender bruising had sprouted over the Pokemon's rear side, a mix of shallow blues and indigo. She couldn't take the sight.

"We attack them. Now."

"Isn't that illegal?" Bianca hissed.

"And what they're doing isn't?" Hilda answered bitterly.

She looked to Minnie and took her bow. The Tepig who had become her friend only a week ago, who had grown to trust and care her so quickly, nodded. Victoria crawled forwards too. Hilda felt her limbs moving, mechanical and out of her control as she rose to her feet, cupped her face and shouted-

"Get away from that Pokemon you sick fucks!"

Using a loose jut of bar from overhead, Victoria hoisted herself into the air and swung forwards. She shot from her mouth a blast of sticky white thread, which wrapped around the arms and legs of both grunts, fixing them more firmly in place. Minnie bounded down to the floor below and let out a threatening blaze of fire from her nostrils, motioning for Munna to move behind her. Helplessly, the two Plasma minions reached for their pokeballs, but Bianca did the same, releasing Ozzy and Lillipup into the mayhem. Pansear flung himself off of the platform, joining the group.

Hilda and Bianca's team outnumbered them five to three, with only Woobat, Patrat and Sandile to defend the two grunts.

"Boss really couldn't have given us some better Pokemon for this mission, huh?" the man grunted, yanking an arm free.

"You guys are cowards, attacking without warning like that." The girl said. She addressed them directly, looking up as far as she could to glare at them. Her Sandile snapped its jaw menacingly, provoking an attack from Ozzy, who pounced forwards, scallop in hand, and slashed at him, spraying the surrounding area with water. Woobat flew to the crocodile Pokemon's side, flapping her wings hard and sending out sharp razors of air in the way of her opponents. Lillipup shielded himself and Victoria with a Protect. Munna was shuddering under Minnie's guard, too scared to fight back.

"Why are you hurting Munna? I thought you guys liked Pokemon," Bianca asked in a shuddering voice. She was clinging to the edge of the building roof so hard that her knuckles had gone white, and her eyes were still ripe with bubbling tears.

"Yeah! Seems a bit hypocritical to me!" This much was true. From what Hilda had gathered from their speech in Accumula, Team Plasma were putting forward an important ethical question, but the story here seemed much different.

"We don't have much of a choice here, alright? We need some of that Dream Mist stuff, or else we're in for it."

Dream Mist? Hilda was sure Doctor Fennel had mentioned that, whatever it was. She had no idea what it was capable of, but the scientist had explained that it was a very valuable substance, and if Team Plasma wanted anything to do with it, that couldn't mean anything good.

Glowing leaves materialised around Victoria's head and launched towards the opposing team. Woobat darted out of harm's way, but Patrat and Sandile couldn't defend themselves much against the unrelenting storm of greenery. From Pansear's mouth came a rapidly travelling smoulder, which made contact with Woobat and burst apart upon contact, toasting the psychic type's round, furry body. Unfortunately, he was met with a harsh Bite attack from Patrat, who's lethal canines were enough to evoke a loud shriek of pain from the fire type.

"Listen, if you can get it out of him, we'll leave peacefully. No more fighting!"

Hilda almost laughed at that. "No way!"

"Yeah, you were hurting Munna! We could never trust you!"

The grunts finally managed to break the string that bound them together, ripping it away from their armour and stumbling back.

"We thought we'd have more luck with a lab rat than with the wild ones..."

_What...?_

It was just an offhand comment, but those words filled Hilda with so much rage she felt that she might explode on the spot. Bianca, too, couldn't find the words to describe her anger. These people were even more disgusting than either of them had first estimated. No wonder the Dreamyard was so quiet. Countless Munna could have faced the wrath of these Team Plasma grunts as they desperately tried to extract some of this Dream Mist fluid from their bodies.

"Arceus... Woobat, get them!"

All of a sudden, the bat Pokemon surged upwards, knocking into Hilda. She yelped, panic fluttering through her limbs as she fell backwards onto the narrow surface that held her and Bianca. There was hardly time to react before Woobat came plummeting down again, hitting Bianca square in the head. She teetered dangerously over the edge, scrambling for room to hang on as Woobat swooped across from them again, provoking a high-pitched scream. Hilda grabbed her friend, pulling her close and reaching for her Pokedex. They needed some leverage, something useful like in their gym battle.

Meanwhile, the grunts clearly saw this opportunity to close in on Munna. Minnie blew fierce flames from her snout, searing the cuffs of their trousers, and Pansear did the same, trying to fend them off as best they could with no guidance from their trainers.

"Its habitat is dark forests and caves. It emits ultrasonic waves from its nose to learn about its surroundings." Hilda recited, hugging Bianca to her chest and ducking as Woobat swung over their heads once again.

"So its blind?"

Hilda nodded, wracking her brain for an answer still. Woobat can't see with her eyes. She uses her nose, like an ordinary bat bat. Bats use echolocation.

_Echolocation._

"We could block its nose!"

"What if that hurts it-"

"Bianca, we don't have time!"

Woobat made an awful squawking noise as she bolted towards them. Without missing a beat, Bianca flung herself out of the way, grabbed a nearby piece of debris and lodged it into the Pokemon's snout. Woobat was immediately thrown off course, and was sent spiralling down to the floor, where she landed with a loud thud.

"Sorry!" Bianca squealed, wincing. Hilda, however, was still in shock.

"Arceus, Bianca. That was good."

The girls crawled back to the edge of the platform, panting hard and recovering from the adrenaline rush. By now, the two Team Plasma grunts were closing in on Munna, who was backed up into a wall. Their partners were desperately fighting for dominance, but it was a futile effort as none were brave enough to physically attack the Team Plasma members, and could only attempt to frighten them.

"We should call the others. Quick," Hilda said, but just as Bianca started digging through her bag to find her XTransceiver, something very strange happened.

"What are you two doing goofing off?"

A foreboding voice rang through the Dream Yard, so cruel and so cutting that a everybody froze where they were. From around the corner of a decaying wall, there emerged a tall figure, wearing a swathing cloak.

 _Ghetsis_.

"S-sir...? We weren't... I mean-" the wrangled voice of the male grunt was cut short by a callous laugh.

"I gave you this job because I thought I could trust you. Is that not the case?"

His voice was different than it had been in Accumula Town. Much more hateful, despite its dangerously soft tone. It was a voice that inspired terror, not determination for change.

"Hilda, our Pokemon..." Bianca said weakly, pushing her body down as low as she could in an effort to camouflage herself. Hilda stared around for their get out clause, but she could hardly think with all the morbid outcomes of this situation racing through her mind. Minnie and Victoria were down there. What if he tried to take them? Was it safe to return them to their balls?

"How silly of me," Ghetsis said without his lips moving.

Wait... What?

Neither Hilda nor Bianca were prepared for what happened next. From underneath where they lay, what appeared to be an identical, alternate version of Ghetsis waltzed around the corner, the same multicoloured robes lapping at his feet, the same long green hair pooling at his shoulders, and the same conniving smile smeared across his features. But whatever Hilda and Bianca were feeling, it was nothing compared to the two grunts. They completely seized up, their focus lost as they unconsciously huddled closer, their jaws locked open in horror.

Silent.

"To think I ever fooled myself in believing that you two had what it takes to follow under _my_ lead," continued the second Ghetsis. Bianca covered her mouth in fear of making noise. Hilda held her breath. Seconds lapsed by. Nobody spoke. "Delcatty got your tongue?"

Was this a dream?

Suddenly, the two Ghetsis' wavered, like holographic projections. They flickered and vanished. Less than a second later, one single, somehow more terrifying Ghetsis materialised right in front of the grunts, inches from their quivering faces.

"Get OUT!" he roared, stamping his foot so hard it caused part of the floor to break apart.

Immediately, the grunts scarpered, and Ghetsis evaporated into nothingness.

* * *

"So it turned out to be a group of wild Pokemon causing the illusion?" Hilbert said, munching on a bag of crisps. All four of them were sat in the Pokemon Centre, waiting for their partners to heal.

"Yeah. The Munna and a Musharna that live in the Dream Yard obviously saw our battle as an opportunity to scare off those Team Plasma creeps..." Hilda replied.

After the grunts left, her and Bianca had climbed down from their lookout spot to meet their Pokemon. Woobat had in effect been abandoned by her trainer and, unable to follow after the grunts with her nose clogged, was left in their care. They reasoned that taking her to the Pokemon Centre was the best bet for what to do. It was only then that the group of Munna and Musharna appeared, a couple of them looking very battered, having evidently been subject to the Team Plasma members' abuse.

"When Fennel arrived, she did her best to coax them into Striaton so they could be treated, but they were super hostile," Bianca explained. She had been very distressed by the situation, and now felt immensely guilty about Woobat. Cheren had tried to convince her of the potential, positive outcome - that Woobat would probably be much happier if she was adopted by a nice trainer - but the blonde wasn't hearing any of it. "I'm gonna go back and see if I can help a couple of them..."

"I'll come with you. Just in case," said Cheren. "I still don't really understand all this, though."

"Me neither..." Hilda said.

She could hardly fathom what the two of them were trying to achieve by hurting innocent Pokemon. Perhaps it was because they were scared, but she struggled to believe that anybody who sympathised with their Team Plasma's so-called 'pure ideals' was capable of exploiting a Pokemon, especially through violence. Maybe that was what separated them so distinctly from someone like N.

"If they truly have honest intentions, then they're very misguided. I'm not sure how much I trust that now, though," Cheren muttered coldly. "Either they're a bunch of hypocrites, or something strange is happening."

"Agreed. Hurting Pokemon doesn't sound like something a group of well-meaning activists would do," added Hilbert. He screwed up the empty bag and tossed it in a nearby bin. "See you guys tonight, then?"

"Yeah... Let's go, Cheren. Make sure you get my Pokemon for me, Hilda."

"Will do."

And with that, the two trainers got up and left, taking their bags with them.

Hilda reclined back into the sofa that her and Hilbert were sat on, staring at the empty ceiling. It sure had been such an eventful day. Their first gym battle, a missing Pokemon, and finally a run in with Team Plasma... By this point, she was ready for bed.

"We're looking for your parents tomorrow, Bert?" she said offhandedly. Hilbert perked up at the mention of his name.

"Yeah, I guess..." he murmured. Without looking at her, continued, "I don't have high hopes at this point, honestly."

"Don't."

The other trainer rolled his eyes at her. "Come off it. They pissed off for a reason. I doubt they even want me to find them, really."

Well, that was certainly out of the blue. He sounded spiteful, and surprisingly pessimistic. Moreover, Hilbert was generally very good at forcing a smile on his face. Perhaps the days happenings had got him down? Hilda adjusted herself in her seat so that she could face him, but her friend was looking away very pointedly. She shuffled forwards.

"...You actually think that?" she asked. She expected a dry smile, a shake of his head, an 'I'm just messing with you, mate', but Hilbert just nodded, expression blank. Hilda wasn't exactly prepared for comforting him. She chewed her lower lip, considering her next words carefully. "Well, I don't. And... And I'll search Unova from top to bottom to prove you wrong."

A short, calm silence settled between them. Hilbert forced his lips into an obligatory smile.

"Thanks, Hilda."

* * *

"Thank you for all the hard work, Purrloin..."

It was a cool night, marking the beginnings of September. A gorgeous, starry blanket smothered the sky, the road to Nacrene city merely a silvery strip of ribbon stretching into the horizon. It was a full moon tonight. That beautiful white sphere, hanging in the sky like a ghost and illuminating even the darkest corners of Unova, always seemed to brighten his spirit.

Things like this were inevitably difficult, but the moon seemed to make it easier.

As N crouched in the dirt, Purrloin circled his feet, rubbing her mouth on his knee, her body vibrating as she purred. It hadn't taken her long to grow attached to the trainer. Ever since they met a couple weeks ago, she had been very affectionate. They had slept alongside each other, ate together, played together. They had even cleared a Pokemon Gym together, pulling N one step closer to his ultimate goal. Although it upset him greatly to see his friends in pain, it was a necessary evil for the betterment of Pokemon. For their eventual freedom.

"Your strength is so admirable - I have no doubt you will be able to fend off any trainer who tries to capture you..." he said. Purrloin paused. She went quiet, thinking carefully as N stroked her head. "I know it's hard. I will never forget you, though."

The cat Pokemon's expression faded and was replaced with a sorrowful, confused look. Her eyes glistening widened and her mouth dropped open as she came closer to N, nestling between his legs. He had promised that she would one day be allowed to return to the wild, to go back to her natural habitat and live in peace, but with Purrloin acting like this his heart was swelling, and he had to try desperately to remind himself that it wasn't unusual. None of his friends ever wanted to leave at first, but he knew they would one day appreciate him more than ever.

Pokemon in the wild were perfect beings. At least, far more perfect than they were in pokeballs.

"You'll be okay, Purrloin, I promise. I'll make this world better for you."

At those words the dark-type let out a painful yowl that stopped in the back of her throat. Was she crying? N pressed himself against her head, trying not to look. It would all be over soon. She would leave and be happy; she would adjust to ordinary life once again. Maybe she would even manage to forget about him. That would be for the best, probably, as he had already lowered himself to using her in combat. It was awful, causing his friends such grief. He had ripped her from where she was most familiar and used her as a little stepping stone.

Truly, N was a disgusting human being.

"I need you to go now, Purrloin."

She mewled in protest, coming closer. N forced himself away, standing up with her pokeball in his hand. For a moment, she looked relieved, until he took the ball and slammed it violently into the ground, causing it to snap in two.

"You're free now, Purrloin."

Purrloin's eyes glimmered with tears.

_Please no._

She shook her head, trying to get closer to him.

_Make it stop._

It was one of the worst things you could possibly witness, but it wasn't an alien sight to N. He had seen countless Pokemon cry, and he wished to save every one of them, but that task was nearly impossible.

 _Nearly_.

There was a way. A way to save them all. And the only thing making him hesitant was _her_.

Hilda's Pokemon adored her and despised him, however, this wasn't just a typical product of brainwashing. Between Hilda and each of her partners was a thread. A connection. A mutual understanding that passed even the most obscure language barrier. Hilda and her partners bounced off of one and other in this mysterious symbiotic relationship. They were her safe haven, and she connected with them better than anyone else. Any human.

Just like him.

But Hilda wasn't everyone. For most people, Pokemon were just tools, and by extension, Pokemon were useful, for both recreational and labour purposes. Neither N nor Hilda were an exception to this sickening 'rule'. Both of them were still using Pokemon to meet their goals, despite viewing them as much much more than tools. That's why he was right and she was wrong. Pokemon had to be liberated. There was no other way that harmony between people and Pokemon could exist otherwise.

"Please. Go."

Purrloin stilled. They stared at one and other for a moment.

_Was this right?_

Before N could consider that thought any further, Purrloin turned around, scampered into the shrubbery, and disappeared.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for the support so far! I'm loving writing this and appreciate all the reads, kudos, comments and bookmarks. :)


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